Thirteen Years Later
by Twillygriff
Summary: Thirteen years after the war, there has been a truce between the reigning queen of Hueco Mundo and the Captain Commander of Soul Society, promising peace and allied forces. But not all is resolved; as the scientists have teamed up to resurrect the dead Arrancar, some have rebelled and are planning to wage war on Soul Society, and take back the throne.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I've rewritten things... again... and hopefully for the better... Well anyway, I haven't deleted the story, which might make it easier? Eh, please drop a review to tell me what you think of these changes**

**I've moved to a new, much-nicer house than our old apartment, and we haven't had time to fix up the wifi, so in those days without wifi I've managed to rewrite the first several chapters, and then we got wifi, but I wanted to finish rewriting the rest...**

**And then we went on a cruise for 8 days, and I've been away from my laptop and wifi, so it's been rough... Well for writing at least. I had to use my phone.**

**Ok I'll shut up now... Enjoy ^u^**

* * *

**INFO: ****A truce is made between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, and a trio of fairly mad scientists resurrect the Arrancar through unknown means. We explore mild chaos and go into the daily (or not so daily) events of Shinigami and their new family. But not everything is sunshine and rainbows as some Arrancar are not-so-good. Mainly GgioSoi, SzayNemu, with various pairings, some unusual and some not! Pairings will be explored in later chapters, and we find out how the human gang are doing.**

* * *

The Big News

"Alright!" Yamamoto barked, stamping his foot on the wooden floorboards to grab everyone's attention. All the captains were dozing and spacing out, their gazes unfocused and fiddling with things. Kenpachi was having a silent quarrel with Yachiru. Kurotsuchi was tinkering with something, watched interestedly by Yachiru. Every now and then Kyoraku took a swig of sake from a hip-flask, ignoring the anxious-but-disapproving look Ukitake shot at him as he did so. Soifon herself was deep in thought. Fuming, Yamamoto roared, "Pay attention, miserable younglings!" That got their attention, and Kyoraku hastily pocketed the flask. Luckily Yamamoto didn't notice.

"What's the problem?" boomed Komamura, one of the only Shinigami who had actually been paying attention, and always paid attention. No one else did, seeing as the Captain-Lieutenant meetings were usually Yamamoto rambling on about financial problems, which no one gave a damn about. Very rarely it was something big. There had been nothing big until the announcement of the reinstated Vizard captains, 12 months - a year - after the war against Aizen and his Arrancar. And even then, it had been 12 years since that. It had been 13 long, quiet years since the Winter War. "Why have you called us here today?"

Kurotsuchi suddenly perked up, a smug grin forming onto his odd, if not grotesquely-painted face. He handed Nemu the strange contraption, anticipation slowly washing all the smugness out. Yamamoto ignored him. "Kurotsuchi has been working on a huge project, one that will benefit Soul Society, and," he paused for a dramatic silence, "Hueco Mundo." He raised his hand before anybody could speak. "It has come to our attention that Tia Halibel, a survivor of the Winter War and now queen of the Hollow World wanted an alliance."

"But why?" Iba broke in. He suddenly turned silent as a chastising glance was aimed at him from his captain. Hitsugaya mumbled something to Rangiku, and she nodded, a grave expression on her pretty features. Soifon blinked, the only thing that gave away her surprise and her growing irritation. Why did the Hollows want an alliance with the Shinigami, even though Shinigami killed Hollows? Behind her, Omaeda shifted; sharp rustling noises emitted from his pocket as his bag of rice crackers crinkled. Soifon elbowed him in the side.

"Not all the Hollows have been satisfied with Aizen's reign, he rumbled, "And Tia Halibel herself was cut down by him. You'd think that would make someone bitter, hm? After she'd been so loyal." Everyone took a moment to consider this not-so-new piece of information. Yamamoto continued, "I have already signed the papers, and I have them right here." He drew a rolled-up scroll from his shihakusho, the scroll fastened with a red ribbon. "Our civilizations will help each other out in times of need, and," his brows furrowed slightly, "This is where Kurotsuchi's experimenting comes in." The captain in question was almost rocking on his heels with excitement, acting uncharacteristically like a small child. Nemu was stony-faced and silent as per usual around her captain, though she betrayed a little surprise at his antics with the slightest crease in her usually smooth brow. Yamamoto nodded at Kurotsuchi.

"Nemu and I, along with…" his lip curled, extinguishing his glee, "Urahara Kisuke, have been collecting bodies and Reishi particles and resurrecting the Arrancar, as the, how should I put this… To seal the deal between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society." His grin was back in place, although slightly strained. "It took a lot of work to piece those Hollows together, and a lot of work to explain to them what had happened. And it was also a lot of work actually _working _with that insufferable," Soifon allowed a small smile at his choice of wording, "Urahara guy."

As if on cue, a screen suddenly unfolded from the ceiling. Yamamoto stumbled out of the way, his beard swishing as he did, and everyone jumped although Kurotsuchi looked resigned to it, and a little miffed that he hadn't come up with the idea. The screen crackled with static, and then played to a scene from what appeared to be Hueco Mundo. A tall, slender figure could be seen in the back, vibrant pink hair framing his angular face, and white bone-rimmed glasses perched atop his nose. "Why hello there!" the figure cried, bowing deeply, a hand extended. As if there was anyone to take it. "We are filming straight from the sands of Hueco – "

"Szayel-Aporro Granz!" Renji snarled, rushing forward, hand flying to his hip to draw Zabimaru, but a glare from Byakuya stopped him from doing so. Instead of hollering his Shikai command and demolishing the screen, Renji stepped sullenly back behind Byakuya, shooting death glares to this Szayel person on-screen. Szayel just waved, a wide smile on his face.

"I see you remember me," Szayel cooed, wiggling his fingers and chuckling slightly at the disgusted look on Renji's face. Looking around the open-mouthed stares from the other captains and lieutenants, save for Byakuya, Kurotsuchi and Nemu, he winked and spun around. Spreading his arms, he indicated to the empty sands, where the ruins of an area of Hueco Mundo could be seen. "I present to you – "

"Cut to the chase already," Kurotsuchi barked, eyes narrowed. "This is an important meeting!" Behind him, Nemu nodded in a rehearsed, robotic manner. Kenpachi just scoffed and crossed his arms, obviously bored with the meeting already; that and Szayel's flamboyant actions were starting to disturb him almost as much as the sight of Yumichika prancing around and twirling with added sparkly effects. Yamamoto yawned and muttered something about getting too old for this stuff.

Szayel pouted. "Fine – "

"Welcome everybody!" a voice cried, and suddenly lights were flashing, much to the discomfort of a bewildered Szayel who had stumbled backwards. "I give you this!" Four large iron containers, made out of what appeared to be iron, burst out of the ground in a shower of sand, Szayel scrambling away, issuing a stream of profanities and grumbling about his clothes being ruined by the debris.

Soifon's eyes narrowed. "I know that voice," she growled, but before she could draw Suzumebachi, she was stopped, like Renji, but by a finger wagging on the screen.

"No, no, this is a _professional _meeting," the voice commanded, and Urahara Kisuke stepped onto the screen. Kurotsuchi's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell backwards onto the floor with a thud. Nemu crouched down and examined his unmoving body rather emotionlessly, prodding it with her finger.

"Mayuri-sama, if you're dead, can I experiment on your body?" she asked.

"Oh, I like this girl," Szayel chuckled, storming over to the middle of the screen and pushing Urahara away. That was probably for the better, seeing as Urahara had swapped his usual outfit for gaudy attire resembling an Arrancar uniform, only his had several protrusions and wires around it, all coloured the same shade of green as his striped hat, which Soifon swore he never took off. She wore an expression of outright disgust as Urahara laughed and patted Szayel on the shoulder.

He paused and turned to the screen once more. "We have something magnificent to show you," he promised, and dug around in his pockets. Panic spread over his face as he realized the thing he was looking for wasn't there, and Soifon's features turned to one of smugness as she leaned back and watched him slowly crash and burn. "Where's the remote!" he wailed, "The thing's not sand-proof – "

"Here!" Szayel purred, dangling what seemed to be a small white container in front of Kisuke's face. Kisuke tried to grab for it but Szayel snatched it out of the way. "No can do, pal!" He opened the lid, revealing a large red button. Kisuke looked sulky as Szayel made a show of pressing it, slowly lowering his finger to it.

Kurotsuchi at this moment came to, sitting up and snapping, "Just get on with it, you pink-haired dipshit!" Nemu jumped backwards, but he seemed not to notice. Szayel just sighed and closed the lid, Kisuke's expression becoming that of a hopeful one as he made to grab it from Szayel's outstretched hand, but Szayel slapped his hand away and Kisuke retreated, whimpering. Soifon gave a satisfied snort.

"Well, if you insist," Szayel sighed, a devilish grin spreading over his face as he opened the container again and slammed a fist on the large button. There were several small explosions coming from mini cannons around the side of the large iron containers, and Kurotsuchi huffed at the extravagant display. Szayel began to laugh maniacally as smoke spread, and his cackling became that of an excited squeal often released by adolescent human girls when excited about something.

Kisuke watched in sulky silence as Szayel's breathing sped up and he began rubbing his hands together after Kisuke had snatched the button from his hands, muttering, "But I wanted to do the dramatic reveal…" The two men stood aside as doors opened from the large containers, light pouring from the openings along with a lot of smoke. Four silhouettes stood outlined inside what looked to be small iron rooms, poised in a way that suggested they had been prompted about this, until one began coughing. Soon the others followed suit, and each iron box contained a doubled-over silhouette hacking their lungs out.

"Seriously, Szayel, could you use less realistic smoke?" a male voice wheezed, "It's unleashing hell in my throat!" The speaker of this comment then fell to his knees, his coughing fit becoming wilder.

"Speak for yourself, Dordoni," a sharp female voice cut through, pausing for a moment then beginning to cough again, "My eyes! They're burning!" The speaker of voice was a short, slender yet well-endowed woman who wore a skirt and had what looked like shoulder pads.

"You guys are idiots," one higher male voice piped up. The speaker was short and had a large sleeve covering his nose and mouth. "Why don't you just cover your faces? They're already ugly anyways, so it's two birds with one stone."

"You shut up, Luppi," the female voice snarled, "You're one to talk with that ridiculous fashion sense! Who even wears those clothes?" This was followed by more coughing as the smoke continued to pur out from the boxes. "I'm going to fucking kill you, Szayel!" she shrieked.

"Cirucci is right!" another male voice cried in between coughs, "Your clothes are so fugly, and Szayel should not have used such smoke!" The speaker was tall and muscular, and stopped coughing long enough to strike a pose. "This is going to ruin my appearance!"

The smoke was clearing, and the female voice sneered, "So? It'd be an improvement, with your wardrobe stile. Don't you know your hair still looks horrendous after that Shinigami cut a large chunk of it off? Actually that's a good thing!" She laughed. "It's an improvement. Maybe you should all join the circus because that's the only place suitable for buffoons like you. What I'd give to see you in neon-coloured clown suits and red noses!"

"Cirucci, that's enough, really," Szayel commented, "You all look fine, if not with a casual flair for ugliness." Before Cirucci could pipe up again, he continued, "Now that the smoke's clearing, step out."

The four figures gladly obliged. Cirucci was an Arrancar with deep purple hair, curly and tied into two pigtails, the spiked hairpin standing out. She wore a gothic Lolita-style dress and violet make-up over her lidded eyes giving her a heavy, sensual appearance.

Luppi was short, with uneven, bowl-cut hair and long, drooping sleeves. He yawned, holding his hand to his mouth. Two large holes were cut into the sides of his uniform, and a faint tattoo of a 6 could be seen, a reminder of his former rank before being killed and disposed of.

Dordoni's hair was slicked back, and he had a van-dyke beard and mustache. His Arrancar outfit is customized, with fringes on the forearm portion of the sleeves, a red sash tied at his waist, shoulder pads, and openings down the front which reveal his black undershirt.

The last speaker was muscular, and had a long mane of dark purple, almost black hair which was frizzy and had a large chunk taken out of it. He wore a short cardigan that was lacy around the collar, had glossy lips and icy blue eyes. And he was striking a very flamboyant pose, which the other Arrancar abandoned their professional-looking postures to bend over and retch at, Luppi being the most melodramatic.

Kisuke opened his mouth to speak up but Szayel just laughed and clapped a hand over the tall blond's face, pushing him away as he introduced the Arrancar respectively. "Dordoni Alessandro Del Soccacio, Cirucci Sanderwicci, Luppi Antenor and Charlotte Cuulhourne." He gestured to them. "The first Arrancar we resurrected after _me, _of course." Szayel curled his lip, glancing down at Kurotsuchi's distant expression. "I stored their corpses in my lab and for earlier studies, but Captain Kurotsuchi took it upon himself to _break and enter_…"

Szayel glared at Kurotsuchi from the screen but Kurotsuchi only guffawed and elbowed Nemu. Kisuke took this time to speak. "We managed to piece them back together, with working organs and minds," he beamed, "And managed to make the scars from the resurrecting heal over – "

"I looked hideous for weeks!" Cuulhourne moaned.

" - but we didn't manage to heal the scars that were _not _caused by the experiment – "

"And that is why Grimmjow still has that huge-ass burn mark on his front," Szayel finished. "Not that we even needed to resurrect that fleeing bastard."

Kurotsuchi spread his arms, turning to the other captains. "We managed to piece together all the dead hollows," he announced triumphantly, "Even the disintegrated ones like old Ulquiorra, Barragan and… that other cat Arrancar? His name escapes me."

Soifon raised an eyebrow. Usually her Nigeki Kessatsu technique was irreversible, making the victim shatter into a million little Reishi particles… it did take a year for all the Arrancar to be fixed up, she supposed, and it was mainly the fact no one would ever bother going to such lengths… Maybe she had underestimated Urahara's madness, and combined with the other scientists… She didn't want to think about all the chaos they could unleash upon Soul Society, but she mentally swore that if that ever happened she would be the one to find Urahara and skin him alive.

She was jerked back into the present by Kisuke's annoying voice, and had an overwhelming desire to sew that imbecile's mouth together. "And there's something else," Urahara said, eyes twinkling. The captains and lieutenants shifted nervously in the room, wary of how sinister Urahara appeared to be. Urahara struck a pose reminiscent of Szayel's when the pink-haired Arrancar had slammed his fist on the button. "Half the Arrancar are signing up to be in the Gotei 13!"

This brought uproar, some good, and some bad. Some of the Shinigami were standing frozen, open-mouthed and gaping. Isane looked remarkably like a goldfish as she stood behind a silent, stony-faced Unohana who had her head bowed. Others like Hitsugaya were hiding their outrage behind a mask of utter disapproval. Rangiku's brows were furrowed and she seemed to be in deep thought.

Omaeda was stuttering, Rojuro had grabbed Izuru by the shoulders and was shaking them violently, babbling, Hisagi was being shaken by Mashiro and even the usually stoic Byakuya had his mouth pressed into a thin, severe line, his eyes widening just a fraction of a centimetre. Kensei had his arms crossed and looked as if he was perfecting a bulldog impersonation, and Komamura had his ears flattened against his head, his lip curling into a small snarl.

Yamamoto chose this time to speak up. "Silence!" he boomed, banging his staff on the ground. There was a resounding thud, and everyone fell silent. "Under the truce, the Arrancar are permitted to join just as a student of the Shin'o Academy would," he rumbled, his gaze drifting from one ashen-faced Shinigami to the next. "It is a condition of the treaty, and not even a bad one at that. Any questions?"

Soifon could tell that many of the captains wanted to speak up and protest, there were quite a few muttered discussions between captain and lieutenant, but none of them wanted to question the Captain Commander. Chojiro Sasakibe, lieutenant of Squad One, was nowhere to be found. Yamamoto didn't look remotely concerned, or perhaps he just hadn't noticed yet, what with his fading memory.

Suddenly the screen buzzed to life again. "Genryuusai-dono!" a voice cried, and Sasakibe slammed into the screen, gripping it. "Take me back!"

"Sasakibe?" Suddenly Yamamoto's long, untrimmed eyebrows rose and he stuttered for a moment, before demanding, "What are you doing in Hueco Mundo?! I never gave you orders to come!"

"You didn't?" Sasakibe moaned, "I was told that you had commanded me to come! I can't deal with all these rowdy Arrancar anymore! They're giving me migraines and my inner anglophile detests this place!" Sasakibe's eyes widened. "Do you know how much they actually hate tea? Especially English tea?"

Yamamoto, still recovering from his shock, shook his head. "Come back immediately, as soon as you can!" he commanded. "I still don't know when you got there, when this screen was built into the ceiling of my hall, but I will not stand for unauthorized impersonation!"

In the background, Urahara fanned himself and mumbled, "Oops," to a chortling Szayel.

Yamamoto composed himself. "Everybody out! DISMISSED!" he roared. The great doors burst open and the captains and lieutenants filed out of the hall, still murmuring quietly. Soifon ignored Omaeda's rambling and glanced back at the hall to find Yamamoto examining the screen in a less-than-pleased manner, while Sasakibe peered into the screen with the air of a kicked puppy.


	2. Chapter 2

Recruitment

Ggio was still dumbstruck at how he was able to live again after being disintegrated by the woman's cursed Zanpaktou. It seemed like only yesterday his Tigre Estoque El Sabre form turned black and started crumbling away, and he had reverted to his Resurreccion form. Tigre Estoque had been exclaiming in glee at how wonderful a death in battle had been, but his voice had echoed in Ggio's head, growing fainter by the minute. And then his Resurreccion had slowly turned black and shattered, leaving only Ggio. Tigre Estoque was gone, not even the sword form remained.

And then he had shot a glare at the woman, with her back turned to him, and cursed her with all his being, for killing him, for making such a fool out of him, _for being stronger than him. _He'd been hoping to prove to Barragan-sama that he was strong, not just a feeble imitation of an Arrancar, that Barragan-sama had been right in taking him in as a Fraccion. Even as he perched on a block of rubble in Las Noches, all this ran through his head – resentment, anger and many other negative feelings he couldn't place.

He still didn't know the woman's name, but he desperately wanted to. He needed to learn the name of his killer, now that he had been revived along with the other Arrancar. Queen Halibel exerted an amount of control over them as queen. Personally, Barragan should have been king, he thought – his master was the former king before that bastard Aizen swooped in and stole the throne. He could still vividly remember the day those three Shinigami had waltzed in like they owned the place, insolently insulted the king, then bent Barragan's will with their sheer Reiatsu and made an offer Barragan couldn't refuse – literally. His mouth now held a sour taste to it as he remembered.

And now they learnt they could take off their hollow masks with no difficulties, although it might have been a little hard for Nnoitra and others to take them off. It was easy for Ggio, Di Roy, Shawlong and others like Grimmjow and Halibel to, since Ggio and Di Roy's masks were like helmets, and many Arrancar had hollow mask fragments that looked like ordinary accessories. Di Roy had almost screamed in relief, the weight of his mask forcing his head to bow, resulting in him taking on a slouched posture. But even though they could take their masks off with no difficulty, it limited their power to only Sonido and swordplay, and they couldn't use their usual Hollow powers, which was why they kept it on.

As of now, his own mask was perched atop his head, the smooth surface of the bone shining in the pseudo-sunlight of Las Noches. It was incredibly odd for Halibel to have wanted to fix the hole in the sky-dome that Ulquiorra had caused, much less keep the sky there. It was a change from the endless night, but sometimes it was too much. Halibel seemed determined to civilize Hueco Mundo with the surplus of semi-human Arrancar who could think and speak coherently, as well as socialize and form plans.

Since the Hogyoku was gone, perhaps destroyed – they never found out – there could be no more artificially-created Arrancar. Only natural Arrancar like the original Privaron Espada, two of whom had chosen to leave Hueco Mundo for Soul Society, Ggio thought with a curl of his lip, under the new alliance. It wasn't as if Arrancar were obligated to join, but many had already decided to sign up, hoping that the captains of the squad recruited them. He wondered how many had signed up for Squad Two, the one that his killer led. He sometimes considered joining the squad just to spite her.

Hopping off the large slab of rock, he walked through the corridor, hands shoved in his pockets, a scowl on his face. He had been training for years after he had been resurrected, and his power and Reiryoku level had increased greatly. He wanted to convince Barragan he was strong, not just a straggly stray cat, but unfortunately Barragan had taken off right after he had been pieced together and the limit on his power had been removed. Pity, really. Ggio still wanted to serve him as a loyal Fraccion, even though ranks like Espada and Fraccion didn't exactly exist anymore… The tattoos were still on their bodies, a permanent and painful reminder of Aizen's reign.

Ggio didn't admit it, but he may have had a fanatical desire to prove himself to Barragan. Even as he stood in the empty, smashed building, he felt bitter that Barragan had never considered him as good as the others. And he had taken on the woman, just to make Barragan respect him as a subordinate when he won. But he didn't, and it was going to haunt him forever that he wasn't good enough to beat a Shinigami into the dust. It helped a little to know that none of his fellow Fracciones, save for Poww (who had still died in the end), had beaten their opponents, a small consolation but a consolation nevertheless.

It bothered him, somehow, that he could never actually remember several events in his past. At first he'd assumed it was a side-effect to being pieced back together after being obliterated, but it wasn't. Ulquiorra still had perfect memories of his life, flying around Hueco Mundo like a huge, hairy winged rodent who conveniently had massive horns. Ggio could only remember being born… and suddenly he didn't have anyone around anymore… and then before he knew it, he was growing up alongside Barragan and 5 other Hollows, who he had _something _in common with; he just didn't know what.

He dragged his hands over his face furiously. Large chunks of his past were frustratingly blurry and unclear. Hell, he should have been able to remember the basic events, such as how the fuck he'd ended up working for Barragan-sama, but he couldn't. He just _did_. He could only remember fragments… Again, like being there the day Aizen and his buddies invaded… Better not dwell on that. As he walked, he ran through the last memories he held onto, to make sure he wouldn't forget those because face it, he might lose the idea of who he even was. Apparently there were rumours of Hollows going mad and forgetting who they were, and he did _not _want to end up like them.

He almost tripped over a piece of rubble lying in his way as he was deep in thought. He cursed the beings who had destroyed the palace, again and again. But most Hollows were warlike and violent, with endless bloodlust, and not much could change that. Again, as Halibel was appointed Queen of Hueco Mundo, she had a certain control over all Hollows, and could sometimes bend the weakest ones to her will. She exerted her control to prevent crime rates and mindless murder between the Arrancar, and other Hollows from destroying the palace of Las Noches, but it must have been a hard job. In Barragan's reign, from what he could remember, no one even dared because Barragan's power was old and immeasurable. It just wasn't the same with Halibel.

He walked through the corridor, with its demolished walls letting in the bright sunlight. The sky was blue other than its usual black, and pretty much cloudless. Rubble and debris was still strewn all over the floor, and he picked his way through it with distaste. Trust Yammy and those Ryoka to lay waste on Barragan's former palace. Even now Halibel had assigned what she called 'jobs' to various Arrancar to help repair the palace and make it suitable for living in. Hmph. It seemed as if she wanted them to become human or something crazy.

"Hey, Ggio," a voice grunted behind him. "You thinking of joining the squads?" Ggio turned around to see Redder leaning against a pillar, half the top smashed off. His fellow Fraccion was balancing precariously on a jagged piece of marble, what he presumed the palace to be made out of.

"Maybe. Why?"

Redder hopped off the pillar and shrugged. "I'm thinking of joining Squad Three just to piss Izuru off," he replied. "And I've heard Soul Society's a much nicer place to be, where you're not plagued by tiny, insignificant hollows trying to take a bite outta you when you've got better things to do." Redder sniffed. "Assuming that's not what unseated Shinigami do." They walked for a moment through the ruins of the palace corridor, their footsteps echoing through the rubble. Ggio briefly wondered where everyone else was. Maybe in the huge hall Aizen always gathered the Espada in, sitting at the chairs and climbing all over the pillars. That was one of the few areas of the main palace that had not been destroyed, along with the palaces that the Espada and their Fraccion dwelled. Or maybe it had been destroyed by Yammy's massive bulk he gained in his Resurreccion form when angry.

"I might join," Ggio said finally, "But how many other Arrancar are joining?"

"Heaps," Redder grinned, baring his teeth, "We aren't gonna be alone, bro. Apparently Findorr's joining, along with Batman, Grimmjow and Szayel."

"Well of course," Ggio snorted, as he knew Szayel had teamed up with the Shinigami to help revive them. "Batman?" he asked, wondering who it was for a moment, then realized. "Oh. Ulquiorra."

"Uh-huh," Redder grunted. "Lately he's been weird. Well weirder than he was back before we died. Man, he's actually showing emotion!" Redder cried, as if this was the strangest fucking thing in the world. Well, it was pretty close.

Ggio was intrigued. "Really? I thought we was just an emotionless brick wall who turned out to be powerful."

Redder shrugged again, his shock at Ulquiorra's sudden gaining of emotions deflating rapidly. "Those Shinigami scientists folks must have done something weird to him. There was some redheaded human girl with them, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Ggio recalled for a moment. "That girl Aizen abducted and made Ulquiorra keep as a prisoner." He tried to remember what the woman's name was, and then settled for Onna, which was what Batman – he had adopted this name for Ulquiorra – always called her. "Well, if you want to make an application to join the Gotei 13, where do you sign up? I'm kind of interested, since I want to piss off my killer as well." He shifted slightly, stepping nimbly over a particularly large rock. "Also I've been training for Barragan-sama, but he's not around so I might as well try and beat her."

"Ha! Fat chance." Redder ducked an open-handed blow and said, "But I know where to travel through the Garganta to end up in… in…" He shuddered. "That shop. It creeps me out, especially the little human kids there. They beat Ylfordt up." Before Ggio could ask how the fuck two feeble human children could kick Szayel's brother's ass, Redder said, "But the manager of the shop's cool enough – he was one of the scientists who revived us – and it's the black cat you really have to watch out for." Redder shivered. "Sandal-Hat guy is benign as fuck but the cat?" He shook his head.

Ggio was curious to see how a mere black cat could be so frightening, but Redder led him into a huge room. "So this is it?" he asked, eyeing the two giant antennae at the far corner.

"Yep!" Redder nudged him through the doorway. Quite a few Arrancar, Numeros, Fraccion and natural Arrancar alike were hanging around in the room, and Halibel was crouched on the top of a pillar with Starrk. Szayel was standing by one of the giant antennae, apparently marking off something in what appeared to be a clipboard. Ggio walked over, avoiding treading on some of the less-than-humanoid Arrancar's tails or extra limbs. He'd almost stepped in a spider Arrancar's silk, shrinking under her fearsome glare as he avoided treading on the strong, sticky substance laid out on the ground.

Redder had left him to talk to Findorr, and Ggio approached Szayel warily. The skinny, pink-haired Espada looked busy, a frown on his angular features, and he greeted Ggio without even looking up. "Morning," Szayel muttered absently, scribbling down something. He then tucked the pencil behind his ear. "Going to see that insufferable excuse for a shopkeeper?" he asked.

"Uh… Who?"

"Oh, you don't know him." Szayel sighed. "Urahara Kisuke and his cat, Shihoin Yoruichi. Be careful around her. So are you signing up for the squads?"

"I guess… yeah, I am," Ggio confirmed.

"Right…" Szayel took out the pencil and wrote something down on the clipboard again then turned. "I'll open up a Garganta for you… Just a sec…" Szayel walked around to the front of the two antennae, Ggio could now see that they were connected, and raised his hand, looking as if he was attempting to grab something in the middle. Szayel's brow furrowed and he muttered something under his breath, and then there was a sound like a zipper unsipping. None of the other Arrancar paid any attention to it, perhaps already too used to the earsplitting noise. Ggio clapped a hand over his ears as the Garganta opened, the jagged mouth widening with a zipping noise. "Well?" Szayel called over the noise, "You coming?"

"Yes!" Ggio stepped forward, putting a foot at the mouth of the Garganta, which was thankfully beginning to quiet down. "Thanks, Szayel!" he called making his way through.

"No problem," Szayel muttered, closing the Garganta and once again beginning to scribble things down on his clipboard and paper. Hm, he had a _wonderful _idea of how to humiliate Ylfordt… Better write that down among the other 28 ideas…

-::-

"Welcome to the Urahara Shoten!" a deep, grating voice called out, causing Ggio to flinch and bare his teeth. His pupils were dilated against the bright lights, unused to them from just exiting a darkened Garganta, and he blinked several times before registering what was going on. He was standing inside a small shop selling what looked to be candy and household items like detergent and bugspray.

On the counter perched a stately-looking cat, its yellow eyes contrasting greatly with the pure darkness of its fur. It stood up and shook its head, stretching with a yawn, and Ggio could tell it was female. Her fur was smooth and glossy, and she had a lithe, agile build. So this must be Shihoin Yoruichi, Ggio thought warily, remembering the way Redder had cringed. But she didn't look like much. Ggio realized how wrong he was when the cat opened her mouth to speak and a deep, masculine voice came out like the one earlier. "Surprised?" the cat yawned. "Everyone else had the same reaction," she chuckled, amused at the open-mouthed expression on Ggio's face. His mouth had taken the shape of a perfect O, and she leaped down.

A large, muscular man wearing spectacles and sporting a bushy black moustache stood in the corner and he nodded at Ggio. He looked rather lonely.

Yoruichi was watching the man for a moment, her tail swinging leisurely, and then turned back to Ggio. "Have a seat," she commanded, and Ggio felt himself obliging, seating himself at one end of the round table. There were two steaming cups of tea on it, and Yoruichi pushed one over to Ggio with her paw. "Drink some. It's some of Tessai's," she gestured to the motionless man standing behind her, "special brew."

Ggio picked up the cup and gingerly put it to his lips. Tessai turned and called over his shoulder, "I'll go get Kisuke-san." Yoruichi nodded, and he disappeared behind the sliding paper door. Ggio swallowed some of the tea, feeling the hot liquid slide down his throat. It wasn't unpleasant, but he had a special dislike for tea seeing as Aizen was obsessed with it and basically forced it down everyone's throats.

He became aware of all the objects that appeared to be cleaning products on the shelves, but were actually anti-hollow products. He sniffed the air and recoiled at the scent of the Hollow repellent. The very scent repulsed him, and squinting, he could deduct that more than a few of them were lethal enough to take out a Menos Grande, despite their harmless disguise of detergent and spray bottles filled with cleaning liquid. He tore his gaze from them to glance back at Yoruichi, who watched him passively before turning around. "We had a new supply of anti-Hollow products provided to us from Seireitei," she murmured tonelessly, "Since eradicating a Hollow from this world sends it back to Hueco Mundo, if it isn't a Menos yet." But it was still painful for the Hollow to die in one world, even if they were sent to Hueco Mundo as they died.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" a plaintive voice sounded from the door, and it slid open to reveal Urahara Kisuke, in all his half-asleep, disheveled glory. He wasn't wearing his striped bucket hat then, but still had his messy hat hair, and was thankfully back in his usual attire of an inverted haori, Yoruichi noticed thankfully. She didn't know _how_ he'd managed to attach all those wires and protrusions without killing himself, and she didn't know _why _Kisuke had wanted to wear that hideous imitation of an Arrancar uniform. Kisuke immediately seated himself down opposite a puzzled Ggio, Yoruichi licking a paw indifferently, glancing at Ggio with one intelligent golden eye before closing it and grooming other parts of her pelt.

"So, um… How do I sign up to join this so-called Gotei 13?" Ggio asked, drumming his fingers anxiously on the table.

Kisuke grinned and handed him a paper and pencil. "You fill out this form," he told him, "And we send it in for approval. Don't worry, they won't be overly biased and discriminate against you just because you fought against them and tried to kill them." At Ggio's deadpanned look, Yoruichi flicked Kisuke on the nose with her tail.

"That's what he says to everyone," she rumbled. "Now start."

Ggio shrugged and bent down over the paper, filling in parts where it was necessary. There were a few odd questions, such as '_Who did you fight against in the Winter War?' _and _'How long has it been since you were resurrected?'_

Privately Ggio thought that these questions weren't really necessary for entry but he filled them out anyways, trying not to put too much insulting detail into the work – he still had a lot of anger pent up in him. As he worked, Kisuke and Yoruichi tried to make some small talk. "So… Which squad are you joining?" Yoruichi asked, trying not to appear too interested.

"Squad Two," he muttered, writing out what his Zanpaktou was, and describing it in detail lest what they said on the paper was true and he would be vaporized if he lied about it on the paper.

"Hm?" Kisuke's eyes widened. "Isn't that the squad – "

"Yes," he said shortly.

Yoruichi yawned. "And for what reason?" Her eyes held a steely glint to them.

"Well, I wanted a change from Hueco Mundo, and apparently from what I've been told, Squad Two fits my abilities," he replied, ignoring Yoruichi's scrutinizing stare.

"Damn right," she said, examining her paws. "Anything else?"

Ggio thought it'd be best not to lie. "Well I also wanted to get back at the captain," he admitted, "Since she killed me, 'n' all that…"

Kisuke chortled. "Yes, yes, that's the reason most Arrancar signed up!"

"And you let them?" Ggio gaped at the laughing scientist, handing his paper over. "Is that going to cause a – "

"No, it won't cause a revolution or an attack," Kisuke promised, "There'll be strict laws, and the sheet's double-sided, my dear friend. But Queen Tia Halibel, as you may know, exerts a certain amount of power over all Hollows, Arrancar included, and she had the power to infuse the treaty with some of the more queenly part of her Reiryoku, possessed by all rulers of Hueco Mundo, so it will only fade when there is no ruler. And trust me; I don't think she'll be off the throne for a while."

"Uh-huh…" Ggio said absently, concentrating on the more intellectual questions of the form. Why did they need to know if Arrancar could do math? Surely it wasn't needed? Or maybe they needed to measure out the intelligence of the Arrancar; then many of the more bloodthirsty ones would be marked as imbeciles, and Tesla would come out on top for being one of the smarter ones. Ggio had no idea what he would be marked as, and he felt slightly anxious about it. There was a section which read '_To be filled in by the captain of the squad'_, so he left that section blank.

With this on his mind, he handed the sheet back to Kisuke, who regarded it briefly, then yelled, "Smile!"

"What?" Ggio looked up from his half-finished tea to Kisuke, then yowled and threw up his hands to protect himself from the small, chunky-looking thing that resembled one of Starrk's guns. There was a flash of light and Kisuke regarded the thing for a moment then turned it over so that Ggio could see a mini image of himself, looking like a terrified idiot.

"Lovely!" Kisuke beamed.


	3. Chapter 3

Journey through Hell

Soifon arrived at the office the next day to find a small, sealed envelope waiting for her on her desk. She picked it up an examined it, opening it carefully. It was an application letter, probably from some Arrancar who thought they were worthy of joining Squad Two. She unfolded the paper inside, wondering who the hell it was. It had been a day since the Captain-Lieutenant meeting, and people were still surprised about it. The other squads had gotten quite a few applications, Squad Eleven having the most, she thought resignedly, but no one had applied for a spot in Squad Two until today.

She started and almost dropped the paper in surprise. She peered once again at the small picture, and found a familiar face staring back at her, eyes round with panic and teeth bared in a snarl. It looked as if he had been putting his hands up to protect his face, which according to the other members of the Shinigami Women's Association, was a common reaction since none of them had ever seen a camera before, and the results were quite amusing.

She skimmed over the lines Ggio Vega had written in his untidy scrawl, wondering why he wanted to join the Squad. Not that he was suitable, but she had been the one to kill him; shattered into millions of tiny Reishi particles from Nigeki Kessatsu, _Death in Two Steps_. But maybe he was joining for the same reason those other Arrancars joined Squad Three and Nine, Redder and Findorr or something? Even though the lieutenants of those squads had been the ones to kill them, by beheading and good old stabbing. Thinking about this, she decided on at least one thing – Arrancar were weird.

Her mind flashed back to when she had killed Ggio back in the Fake Karakura Town in the Winter War, shortly before fighting Barragan, losing an arm and then attempting to fight the stinking, arrogant bastard and getting swiftly cut down.

~:~

_"I'll show you a real assassination," she decided, her gaze flicking to the Arrancar before her. "In fact, you mightn't be able to even see it," she concluded, watching the Arrancar out the corner of her eye. She was feigning injury and weariness, although she hadn't even broken a sweat, but the Arrancar was growing tired. She had to admit, it was hard sinking down to the level of a mere Fraccion when she could have easily taken on harder opponents, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd done it so that she could take a look at his Resurreccion._

_Ggio was slowly growing angrier. How dare this Shinigami get beaten and thrown around, yet have the nerve to think she was better than him? He had spent the last hour fighting her and kicking her around, overpowering her. If this was what all captains were like…? He regained his composure. "Not bad," he remarked. "I was actually getting rather impressed at how long you've been holding out, despite being so tired."_

_Oh, how wrong he was, Soifon thought to herself with an invisible smile._

_Ggio allowed a smirk to play across his features, biding his time for when he would show this arrogant Shinigami. "I have to admit, you were actually pretty cute," he commented, waiting for a reaction. None came. She was still stony-faced. "Trying to fight and nearly succeeding. In fact," he disappeared and reappeared next to her with a soft buzzing noise and taken her wrist. She stiffened._

_This was not part of the plan, Soifon thought angrily. But instead of fighting, thrashing around and generally doing what he expected her to do, she remained stock-still, although tense._

_"In fact I kinda admired you. I wouldn't have minded getting to know you better," Ggio laughed, disappearing and reappearing a distance away from her. "We weren't all that different after all."_

_"Oh?" Soifon inquired._

_"Yep." Ggio examined one of the blades protruding from the back of his hands. "Our fighting styles, our choice of weapons… Hell, even our damn braided hair! But you lost so badly now," he said, eyes narrowing. It wasn't all untrue; he had grown to admire her resilience for fighting when she obviously had no chance, and she wasn't the type to give up or faint. He liked that about her. But now she was going to die._

_Soifon sighed, feigning exasperation. "Oh, you never learn, do you?" she said scornfully. "How is it that I managed to stay strong for all this time, despite being smacked around by you so much?"_

_Ggio's eyes narrowed even further. "You mean you – "_

_"Yes." Soifon closed her eyes and darted around so quickly Ggio barely had time to register it, cutting through his Hierro in one smooth cut, and a black Homonka appeared there. She landed a small distance away from him. "I was faking." She willed the Homonka butterfly crest to fade, and a small smile played across her features. "Let us drag this fight on some more, hm?"_

_"Don't you underestimate me!" Ggio roared. "Tigre Estoque El Sable!" he shouted. Immediately, he was surrounded by a magenta aura._

_This was it, Soifon thought smugly. She had riled him up to this point where he gave in to his rage and acted rashly._

_Ggio began to form muscle and sinew over his Resurreccion form, the outer covering hardening into rough fur. He almost looked grotesque in his shell of muscle and brown fur, and his braid grew. And he was still growing. "Behold! My ultimate attack power," he crowed triumphantly. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain at his insides. Looking down in horror, he saw a black butterfly crest on his left lung, and knew there was one on his back too._

_Too soon, his outer shell of muscled flesh began to turn black and crumble away as Suzumebachi's poison coursed through him, breaking down the cells in his power._

_Tigre Estoque said in his mind, _'Well, at least we tried. But she still won. Anyways, it was worth it!' _his Zanpaktou cried in glee, _'We died valiantly in battle! Wouldn't you call that a fitting death?' _Already his voice was echoing in his mind and growing fainter by the second, and soon it was silenced as Ggio melted back into his Resurreccion, and even then, the various appearance-changes ha had obtained with Resurreccion were turning black a shattering._

_"Ah… So this is what it feels like to die…" he said almost dreamily. He was becoming numb in the chest area, and couldn't feel his limbs. Turning to the ashen-faced captain, his features changed from that of peace to that of anger. "Curse you," he snarled putting every ounce of rage he felt, rage at her beating him, rage at his dying, into those two words. And with a soundless scream, he shattered into a million tiny particles, barely visible, flying away in the wind._

_Soifon turned away, a troubled expression on her face. What he had said about their being similar was eerily true. Both had a first stage that involved being fast and light on their feet with things resembling claws on their hands, and they had to be fast and nimble for it to be highly effective. Anf then their second stage, well Ggio didn't have a Segunda Etapa; that was only a battle move like Halibel's Cascada, but they were still both large and bulky, and wouldn't do much for speed, she assumed. But enough of that. For she had another opponent to fight, and she hadn't even broken a sweat yet._

_She turned around to face Barragan, the Segunda Espada, her former opponent's master. He would definitely be more of a challenge for her._

**(A/N: This was not only Soifon's view - it was a flashback but both of their viewpoints were shown.)**

~:~

Soifon drifted back into the present and thought about this. Grudgingly, she admitted he was good and their skills matched up, although she was far more proficient than he. His attitude might have been a problem, but he liked to shake people up and disconcert them when he attacked, so maybe that would be useful. She assessed his fighting skills, noting how he was truthful in his writing, and evaluated the goods against the bads.

The number of upsides was more than the number of downsides, she decided, and with a sigh, sat down at her desk. Taking out a brush and inkpot, she filled in the space designated for the captain's approval, noting with spiteful satisfaction her handwriting was far better than his, but then again, Arrancar weren't too educated in literacy.

She finished her brief assessment and recount and signed it, hoping that after he joined, the upsides really would outweigh the downsides, and she wouldn't have to regret making a stupid decision.

-::-

Szayel had rounded up all the Arrancar that were going to Soul Society, trying to make them sit still enough for him to recite something from an old-fashioned scroll from Yamamoto. None of them were listening, they were all too caught up in their own arguments. Ggio and Tesla were watching interestedly as Di Roy and Ylfordt argued about something, occasionally asking Shawlong to back them up, the tall, thin Arrancar refusing to take any part of it.

Redder and Findorr were debating on the best ways to cause trouble in Seireitei, stopping only as Tesla mildly pointed out that there were going to be strict laws and they would be prosecuted, Redder and Findorr blanching. Redder's hand flew to his neck, where Kira Izuru had sliced his head off in their battle. Nel was happily discussing the foods in Soul Society with an equally excited Dondochakka and Pesche, and Cirucci was examining her nails disinterestedly beside Dordoni, who was chatting – or attempting to – with Ulquiorra.

Szayel once again tried to make himself heard, but to no avail as the chattering drowned out his voice. His eyes narrowed, and he yelled, "SILENCE!" His voice echoed around the room, and he noted with satisfaction that all the heads turned around to stare at him, pairs of eyes rounded with curiosity. He began to find it quite disconcerting to have so many pairs of eyes trained on him, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ahem." Reading from the scroll, he said, "Well, you've all been accepted, as there were no objections." He squinted. "These are some really strict rules," he muttered half to himself, "But I'm sure you'll all be fine." He glanced at the scroll again, skimming over the neat writing, then rolled it up and tossed it aside, turning to the two giant antennae.

"So are we going to this Soul Society or not?" Nnoitra yawned, stretching and almost nailing Ulquiorra in the head. "Oops." Grimmjow snickered, and was silenced by a glare from Ulquiorra. Aisslinger Wernarr and Demoura Zodd were standing silently in the corner. Well, Aisslinger was, but Demoura was laughing.

"Yes," Szayel said finally, after examining the remote, "Now everybody get up and walk over here," he instructed, leading them down. Cirucci snorted as Szayel almost tripped over his elder brother's foot, Ylfordt grinning wickedly. Szayel shot a withering look at his brother, and walked over to the side of an antenna. "Now… Go forth in small groups…" he said distractedly, fiddling with the button. The Arrancar all separated into small groups as Szayel had instructed, Ylfordt looking disdainful and plain bored.

"Now what?" he demanded.

"Now…" Szayel pressed a large blue button on the remote. The Garganta opened up with a loud zipping noise. He inclined his head, and his thumb accidentally rested on another button, pressing it. There was a few moments of silence, then the Garganta emitted a high, squealing noise and the groups of Arrancar were all sucked into the large gaping hole with yells, protests and flailing limbs. The Garganta promptly sealed shut and disappeared after the last Arrancar, Di Roy flew inside, screeching curses at Szayel. Szayel just turned away with a small smile on his face and began to hum a pleasant, upbeat tune. "Oops."

Meanwhile inside the Garganta, it was almost pitch black. There were many pairs of eyes, two of them luminous and seeming to shine inside the darkness, and it was a cacophony of noise, curses and death threats against Szayel. "I'm going to kill that miserable excuse for a brother!" Ylfordt snarled, starting to spin wildly. His long, pale-blond hair flew in all different directions.

Meanwhile, Nel had grabbed hold of Dordoni's mask fragments and sat on his shoulders, as if being given a piggy back. She started squealing happily, much to the horror of Dondochakka, Pesche and Dordoni himself. "NINA! Get off of my head!" Dordoni howled, trying to shake her off. But to no avail as Nel simply just held tighter, babbling about horsey rides.

"Nel-sama!" Pesche cried, treading on Dondochaka's face to try and reach her, but Dordoni was sent flying ahead instead, screeching, and Nel giggling happily, urging him to go faster. Cirucci squawked as he went flying past, trying to keep her skirt from blowing up despite the fact she wore armour underneath, and her panties were clearly not visible. However she had forgotten about this in her panic, screeching profanities.

Ggio's eyes were slitted like a cats and wide with terror as he yowled and flailed his arms. This terrified him. It was like falling and not being sure he was going to land on his feet. Was this what normal cats felt? Meanwhile Grimmjow was behaving the same way, except issuing a stream of curses as he grabbed onto Nnoitra's ankle, the taller Arrancar shouting and trying to knock him off. Meanwhile, Tesla was sitting with his legs tucked near himself, knees up to his face. He had a serene expression on his face, despite the fact he was slowly spinning, flying through the dank air inside the Garganta at high speeds like the rest of them.

"How the fuck can you do that!" Ggio cried, splaying his limbs out in an effort to steady himself; it didn't work as he started spinning again, trying to avoid kicking others in the face. Demoura Zodd was gabbling away and trying to ask Aisslinger for help, but the other less-than-humanoid Arrancar had his eyes shut tightly and clawed hands hugging himself, ignoring his companion's panicked pleas for help.

Finally they slowed down, floating serenely in the air like Tesla, drifting slowly as if there was no gravity inside the Garganta. No one had the time or state of mind to think about forming a solid walkway using the Reishi particles, and no one bothered. Nel had let go of Dordoni's mask horns and was floating through the air, laughing and pointing at Nnoitra, who was squished between Edrad's bulk and Grimmjow's wriggling form.

Ggio had joined Tesla, arms crossed as he floated. "Wow," he grumbled, "Don't you think those so-called _scientists _are taking it too far? I mean, this is hardly fun."

"Perhaps not," came the reply, "But it'll surely make the first arrival memorable."

Ggio snorted and muttered something about Tesla's being too calm. Eventually his eyes flickered open again, and he stiffened, looking remarkably like a cat that had detected danger. "Wait. Something's coming," he muttered as the group all fell silent. "I don't know what, but something's going to happen."

Grimmjow had felt it too, by the way he'd stiffened as well, eyes narrowing and looking around the place. "Yeah," he growled, "If this is some joke of Szayel's, then so help me I'll – "

"What is this, the cult between kitty Arrancar?" Di Roy interrupted disdainfully.

"No, something's going to happen - "

Ggio broke off into a screech as the other end of the Garganta opened into blue sky and they began hurtling at high speeds into the exit, profanities tumbling out of his mouth. Even Tesla had ceased his peaceful drifting, and the two clutched each other deathly tight as they flew towards the entrance, Tesla wincing as Ggio's nails dug into his arm like claws. Nnoitra and Grimmjow were arguing again – couldn't they do this another time? – and at last they all tumbled out and floated for a bit in mid-air, the Garganta closing with a zipping noise behind them. Nel giggled, and then they were falling, screaming.

Their eyes were watering, hair flying behind them as they fell. Grimmjow and Nnoitra had abandoned their argument to hug each other in terror, and even Ulquiorra couldn't find some way to anger them, his eyes wide and his whole body tensed up. They all fell and then someone shouted something, and they were caught in a stretchy Kido net, glowing pale blue, hanging about a metre off the ground. "Welcome to Seireitei!" a voice cackled. They all looked to see the grotesquely-painted grinning face of Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

"Ugh…" Di Roy moaned.

The net disappeared with a pop and they all fell to the ground with a thump. Nel was sitting on Dondochakka's back, Dondochakka sprawled on top of Pesche, Grimmjow lying on his back on the ground, looking winded with an equally dazed Nnoitra on top of him so that they looked like a cross. Di Roy had used Edrad as a cushion, seated on the taller man's stomach, and the other Arrancar were spread-eagled around them.

-::-

They had learnt that it was Urahara's idea to send them on that trip through hell or what it seemed to be. Ggio's back was still aching as he'd fallen on it, and he was scowling. If that was Urahara's view of what was fun… The other Arrancar had scattered, and now Ggio was attempting to find his way to the Squad Two barracks, passing bemused Shinigami as he walked with his hands in his pockets and a very bad mood.

He saw three men in front of him, one with a buzz-cut, one with a bowl-cut and one completely bald, his bare head shiny and reflective. They were all talking about the Arrancar that were joining their squad. As he got closer and passed them, he could see that the buzz-cut dude wore sunglasses and had a moustache, the bowl-cut one looked extremely feminine and hade four multi-coloured feathers on his face for whatever reason and the bald one wore what seemed to be red make-up resembling Grimmjow's blue markings on his face. Buzz-cut guy was a lieutenant, he noticed, of Squad Seven, judging by the armband he wore.

He tried to avoid them and pass them but they noticed him. "Oi, Arrancar!" Buzz-cut called, "You lost?" They caught up to him, and Ggio eyed them warily.

"Sort of," he answered reluctantly, "Why?"

Buzz-cut and Baldie glanced at each other. Baldie spoke up, "We got a load of Arrancar asking where the barracks of different squads were. A whole load of them wanted to join Squad Eleven, 'cause we're the best!"

Buzz-cut shot a withering glanced at him. "Only because they wanted to fight, and your squad's full of bloodthirsty brutes." Bowl-cut coughed delicately, and Buzz-cut apologized. "Sorry, Yumichika, _most _of them. But none joined our squad," he said rather proudly.

Baldie snorted. "You're just jealous and bitter, and you should be."

Buzz-cut opened his mouth to reply, but Bowl-cut – Yumichika, was it? – cut him off. "We should introduce ourselves, gentlemen!" he cried, smacking them both upside the head like a disapproving mother. "Ayasegawa Yumichika!" he said with a bow.

"Iba Tetsuzaemon," Buzz-cut said, regarding Ggio curiously.

"Madarame Ikkaku!" Baldie hollered, waving his Zanpaktou in the air, "Third Seat of the best squad!"

"Ikkaku, you're gonna give us a bad name," Yumichika sighed. "So, Arrancar, who're you?"

"Ggio Vega."

"It must have been a really rowdy trip," Iba mused. "The others described it as a journey through hell. They must have messed with the Garganta upon designing one able to connect Las Noches and Seireitei."

Ggio thought for a moment. "Yeah, that's accurate."

"Mm. What squad are you joining?"

"Squad Two."

Yumichika stroked his chin. "Hm… I think I know the way."

Ikkaku snorted. "Squad Two? Those sneaky bastards? They don't even know how to fight properly, calling it assassination!"

Iba jabbed him in the ribs. "Quiet!" he hissed, "She might hear you. Remember the last time they caught you?"

Ikkaku blanched, all the colour slowly draining from his face. "Yeah… Right…" He swallowed. "Yumichika, you can go escort him there… I'll just stay here…"

Iba nodded and slung his arm around Ikkaku's shoulders, the two of them looking like they wanted to do anything other than see the captain. Yumichika shrugged and beckoned over Ggio. "Those two are cowards when it comes to her," he whispered confidentially, "She didn't get angry because Ikkaku was badmouthing the squad; he just accidentally smashed one of her cat figurines while delivering messages." He shuddered. "Nothing comes between her and her cat memorabilia."

Ggio nodded slowly. Yumichika led him through the twisting and winding streets of Seireitei. Ggio soon learnt that Seireitei was a perfectly circular shape, the wall protecting Seireitei from intruders, the four gatekeepers' giant sizes scaring away any Ryoka or rebel Rukongai citizens, although the gatekeepers were actually on pretty good terms with the citizens of the districts around them.

At last they reached the Squad Two barracks. It was a long flight of stairs on the side of a grassy hill with two short red pillars on either side with the kanji for 'two' painted on either one of them. They were topped by large, round, golden knobs and there was an entrance to a courtyard at the top. It looked quite imposing, and Ggio swallowed before turning back to Yumichika. "Thanks, Yu-Yumi- Shinigami-san," he said, settling for that name.

Yumichika just laughed. "It's Yumichika," he said, enunciating the syllables of his name. "I look forward to seeing you around!" He waved and turned on his heel, using Shunpo to get back to his companions, and Ggio began climbing the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Fight Me!

Ggio finally arrived at the top of the stairs to find a large double-door entrance. Pushing open the door, he entered a large, square walled courtyard. Around the walls were roofs, with small pillars to hold them up. It was empty, and there was an entrance to a larger building at the end. Rather impatiently, he used Sonido to get there quickly, leaving a soft buzzing noise in his wake, stumbling slightly when he reappeared.

He pushed the door open and walked into the building and was surprised to find it filled with people dressed in black walking down the corridors. Their feet made no sound on the floor which, Ggio had discovered, was warm as if it was heated by something below. Black cloth masked their faces from the nose down – they were clothed entirely in black save for their eyes. They seemed to have no problem with this attire, and when they talked, they talked quietly in hushed tones. Everything about them seemed to be quiet.

As he stared, dumbstruck at the rooms, he thought to himself that this must be what division barracks looked like. A warm, cream-yellow interior with lights hanging from the ceiling, several wooden shelves with books and files in them, small potted plants against the walls… Did every squad's barracks look like this? The windows were open, allowing a slight breeze inside that blew the clean white curtains.

Very few of the people inside were clothed in the usual black and white shihakusho of the Shinigami, so Squad Two must have had more than one type of Shinigami, he deduced. He walked quietly around, surprised that no one bothered him with wary glances and curious stares. It was a nice sunny day, and he was lulled into a sleepy daze from the warmth and the quiet. It was no longer eerie, although there was something about the people he couldn't place… As if they were placid and neutral, friendly enough but not exactly his friends, and if he messed up they'd kill him in a heartbeat. It was because of this that kept him alert, his catlike senses noticing this about the atmosphere.

"You must be Ggio Vega." Ggio spun around to see _her_. The captain of this squad, the one who'd tricked him into letting loose his emotions, then killed him in less than the blink of an eye. "Welcome to the squad," she said tonelessly, brushing past him, her braids swinging slightly behind her. "Follow me." She spoke in the same quiet, hushed tones as the rest of her division members. She was a lot more intimidating than them, despite the fact he was easily more than ten centimetres taller than her, and right now she was acting as if they'd never met. Hell, she had even 'welcomed' him into the squad even though he was an Arrancar. And now she was ignoring him just like any busybody on the street.

"You," he growled in low tones, not wanting to disrupt the quiet atmosphere, though he was sorely tempted. His hand twitched, betraying his temptation to unsheathe Tigre Estoque and lop off her head, though he probably wouldn't have been able to. Tigre Estoque was certainly eager to, judging from his mutinous muttering inside Ggio's head.

She turned around. "Yes, me," she said coolly. "I was the one who killed you. Remember?" She tilted her head to one side. "Or are you trying to forget your shame?" she sneered. Ggio balled his fists, and she snorted, turning back around. "Unlike you, I've let it go, seeing as I allowed you to join the squad instead of leaving you to be the only Arrancar who didn't get accepted. You have a choice. Start anew and leave everything behind, and that makes it easier for both of us, or you can hang onto your petty rsentment, and lose yourself to your emotions. Now follow me." She started walking again, and Ggio was forced to follow her.

"Didn't you feel _anything _when I applied?" he asked irritably, "Annoyance or…? We were enemies!" She didn't answer, just kept walking forward, weaving through her division members like a bee through a clump of flowers. "You could have rejected the form, but you didn't. You chose to ignore the hate and resentment you probably felt. Or maybe you didn't. Do you even have any human emotions?"

She whipped around. "Listen here," she hissed, "I have human emotions, an unfortunate remnant of my past humanity before becoming a spirit, and a Shinigami at that. Everyone here," she gestured to the squad, "has been trained not to let their emotions override their judgment. Think now, act next, cry later. You'd fit in just fine, as you're an emotionless Hollow with no humanity left in them, except maybe for hate and anger." She spun around. "I told you before – I've let it all go, and you can too, or you can keep wallowing in your self-pity. This is a new life for you, _Arrancar_, and you'd better be grateful we decided to gather up all your tiny pathetic Reishi particles and piece you back together, to actually give you a new life. Now _follow me_."

Ggio was left speechless at her reply, and hurried to catch up with her. Her strides were long, probably because she was pissed, and he had to enter a light jog to catch up with her. She had a point, he reckoned, and he might as well just go along with it. He opened his mouth to snap an angry reply back, but then thought better of it, instead saying, "Tell me about this squad. If I'm joining it, I might as well know about it."

"Squad Two is in charge of assassinations and eradicating wrongdoers from existence, so in a way, it's the sneak assassination squad," she told him. "And then there's the Keigun, or Onmitsukidō. Now, the Onmitsukidō is traditionally headed by a female, the head of the Shihoin Clan. Shihoin Yoruichi," her voice wavered a bit, but she steadied it, "was the former leader of these groups, but an event happened in which she was forced to abandon her titles, and is now exiled from Soul Society."

The name sounded familiar, and Ggio was shocked when it dawned on him that Urahara's intimidating cat was the owner of the name. She probably would know, Ggio thought, so he didn't bother to ask her about it.

"Shihoin Yoruichi unified these two groups," she went on, still walking, "and they are now joined together." Ggio didn't notice her discreetly wipe away traitorous tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as this ran through her mind. "And now recent events have permitted her to enter Soul Society again," she said with a slight note of bitterness. "The Onmitsukidō members are all highly-trained, highly-skilled stealth workers, carrying messages and launching sneak attacks. Your skills lined up with this squad's expectations, which is about the only reason you were allowed to join," she told him, wiping her eyes with a gloved hand. This time Ggio noticed, and would have asked if it weren't for the fact Iba and Ikkaku seemed scared of her, and she would probably beat him if he asked. After all, judging from what she had said, they were probably not allowed to show much emotion.

"I see," he said simply, following her. They walked outside, where there were many small houses with black roofs, surrounded by small gray pebbles and several bamboo shoots. Some were bigger than others, no doubt belonging to seated officers. She walked up to a small, plain-looking one and taking off her shoes, she stepped onto the wooden floor in front of the door. Motioning for Ggio to do the same, she slid open the door, revealing a plain, white interior with wooden floorboards and open windows, allowing sunlight to filter in through the blinds. There were paper-screen dividers with simple tree patterns. A bed was in the corner, a dresser on the other side. In other words it was a bare, modest room.

"Your room," she murmured. "This is where you will stay until further notice, when you need to relocate, or if it accidentally gets destroyed in a sparring accident, which happens often with those Squad Eleven buffoons, and will happen more with other Arrancar joining." Ggio hoped she was kidding about the last parts. He didn't want to be sleeping, and then have someone smash through the wall and destroy whatever belongings he had in it. She made to exit the room; putting her shoes back on, when Ggio suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to ask before.

"What is your name?" he asked, "I seem to have forgotten to ask earlier."

He thought he saw a ghost of an amused smile on her face, but must have imagined it. "Soifon," she said finally. She then walked away, shoes making little to no sound on the ground, and then disappeared with Shunpo, leaving no trace that she had ever been here, much less shown him around. Ggio turned to face his room, black tabi socks sliding on the smooth floorboards.

He had his own room. He'd never had one before, not in Las Noches, always having to bunk with two of his fellow Fracciones, Redder and Findorr. And oh, how they argued. All day, every day, they even argued over tiny things like how long the light should be kept on at night when they all went to bed. Sometimes it felt like he could never get a wink of sleep, and speaking of sleep, Redder snored incredibly loudly. And that gave them yet _another_ reason to argue.

He stared around, dumbstruck for a few more moments, still registering the fact he had a room of his _own_. And he didn't have to share it with anyone. It was all his. Ggio had the urge to whoop, or yell triumph but restrained himself. Instead, he walked over to the window and looked outside. It was a nice sunny day, but already there were a few explosions. Probably Nnoitra fighting that Kenpachi guy he lost against, and was killed by.

That reminded him – didn't he want to spar with her? Might as well go ask her now, seeing as he wasn't busy and she might not be. Hurrying out the door, he almost forgot to put his sandals back on, and bent down. He hadn't trained for nothing. At first it was to show Barragan, but his master – well, old master – had gone missing, disappearing without a trace.

The moment he stepped out, he used Sonido to get to the Squad Two barracks quickly, appearing there immediately and startling a few ninjas and division members. Ignoring them, he attempted to locate her Reiryoku – a faint pulse that just let others know where she was. In fact, it wasn't actually faint – the inexperienced Shinigami graduate or unseated officer may have thought so, but it was actually an immense pool of Spiritual Energy being muffled and hidden away.

He explored around the twisting maze of corridors and rooms, although it wasn't that way – he just found it confusing as he wasn't used to these small, confined areas, and had then looked upon the kitchens, what seemed to be a cafeteria of sorts and a broom closet. Stalking out of the closet self-consciously, he brushed off the cobwebs that clung to his clothes and made his way to her office, where she was rearranging books on the shelves. She appeared not to notice him at first as he gazed round the room, eyes round.

It was a spacious yet cozy room, one wooden desk on one side cluttered with files and papers. There were shelves all around the walls, small black cat figurines dotting the otherwise colourful bookshelves, the books an assortment of bright colours due to the printing press' book-making decisions. In fact, black cat memorabilia lined the room. There was even a black cat clock in the corner, tail swinging back and forth with each tick and the eyes flicking to and fro in time with it.

The window, situated in the center of the back wall, was wide open with curtains swaying slightly in the wind, and sunlight poured into the room, spilling onto the warm-looking couch next to the desk. It wasn't a very tidy room, the desk seeming to fill up the entire space with its piles of papers, but it was a nice-looking one all the same. The other room down the corridor was the lieutenant's, he presumed.

"What is it?" Soifon asked questioningly, turning her head to look at him blankly. She tucked a book - about cats, it seemed - among the other books and crossed her arms. "Well?" she went on rather impatiently. Ggio ceased staring around the room and blinked, focusing on her. She waved her hand, still fixing him with that cool, emotionless stare as if saying, _go on_.

"Fight me," he said suddenly. "I've trained a lot since our revival. At first it was for Barragan-sama to see, to show him how I've improved, but I might as well compare it to you," he said, words tumbling over each other. "Fight me seriously, so I can see how much you've limited yourself in our fight!"

She stared at him for what seemed to be the longest time. Ggio waited for her to speak, and when she opened her mouth, it wasn't the answer he was expecting, nor was it one he wanted: "No."

"Why not?" he asked, a sour taste beginning to form in his mouth, "Surely it's permitted…"

"I won't," she said simply, and then went back to rearranging books. Ggio's pupils dilated to slits in the manner a cat would.

"Is it because you're scared?" he hissed. Why wouldn't she? She was still stronger. That was for sure. It would give her the perfect excuse to kick his ass into the ground, but he wasn't going to admit it. His anger flared as she almost imperceptibly shook her head. "Is it because you don't want to damage your pride by fighting _me, _an insignificant little Fraccion, one that you already fought and killed?"

"There's simply no need for me to waste my time on such unimportant tasks," she said. "As you can probably see, I have stacks and stacks of paperwork on my desk just _begging _to be filled in and sent back to whoever asked for them done. I think I'd rather tackle the task on hand rather than… than to waste my time on this. So there," she concluded, "So stop trying to goad me into fighting you." A wry smile formed at the corners of her mouth, almost impossible to see. "That trick won't work on me as well as it did for you."

Ggio ground his teeth. He thought about attacking her right there and then, his blood boiling, but that probably wouldn't bode well with their higher-ups, he thought. It was a Hollow's nature to be violent and warlike… It was more common with Hollows borne from the after-death suffering of humans, and was less prevalent with pure-born Hollows, Hollows that had been birthed by a female after mating. Ggio shuffled his feet, both him and Soifon ignoring each other, he may not have been able to remember his past but he was definitely pure-born. He could at least remember that much. He didn't dwell long on those thoughts.

Instead, he moved closer to Soifon. "Fight me," he insisted.

"No," she said flatly, turning away.

"Why?"

"Are you going to keep this up and keep irritating me until I relent and fight you?"

"Yep." He beamed. "Every waking moment."

Soifon's eyes closed, and she breathed in and out deeply, as Ggio watched on eagerly. She finally opened her eyes. "Fine, but only so I'll be able to get some peace because I fully expect you to stick with your statement," she conceded. "And then I'll finally be able to work without you nagging me all the time."

"Really?" He brightened, and his grin took on wicked intent.

She faced him, her eyes holding a steely glint to them. "Really." She cracked her knuckles, her face emotionless and cold but her eyes held a clear message which Ggio briefly translated as: _shit's about to get real_.

Immediately, she launched into Shunpo and made to swing a kick at his ankles, but he was ready. Papers flew as he spun and leaped out of the way, aiming a kick at her head, only to be grabbed and dragged out the window, and thrown into the courtyard. But he was ready. Twisting around, he landed in a crouch on the ground, his breathing steady but otherwise rapid. His eyes darted from left to right, space to space, and he spotted Soifon standing motionlessly on one of the roofs, braids swinging slightly in the wind. He hadn't trained for nothing, and abandoning his other Hollow instincts, to dive at the enemy guns blazing, and thought rationally, what becoming an Adjuchas, then an Arrancar helped him to, fighting through the beastlike Hollow urges and scanning her body language, like where she was going to strike next. But he found nothing. He only sensed an empty shell, devoid of feeling.

"Not bad," she commented, "Certainly better than the Winter War, over a year ago."

"Thanks," he smirked, "But I didn't come here to compliment or get complimented."

Soifon inclined her head and dove at him again, drawing her own sword and clashing against his unsheathed Tigre Estoque, his Zanpaktou spirit whooping with glee and barely-contained bloodlust, even if it was just a training spar. Ggio growled as he shoved against Soifon's force, their blades still clashing against each other, sparks flying as the spirits inside the Zanpaktou fought their own battles each other. Tigre Estoque was screaming curses at Soifon's Zanpaktou – Suzumebachi was it?

Soifon steeled herself against Ggio. Now it was basically just a game of 'shove each other until someone falls. She could hear Suzumebachi singing the air with profanities stream out of her mouth, having encountered a Zanpaktou who, when clashing against each other, would insult and oppose her, and probably knew as much curses as she did. Funny. Soifon never knew Suzumebachi knew that one. She'd only heard it uttered by Captain Zaraki once when she witnessed one of his fights against an actual strong opponent, but was surprised Suzumebachi had picked it up. Who knew?

Finally they both leaped aside, diving at each other and soaring through the air as they clashed. A few times they abandoned their swords for hand-to-hand combat, both holding their own, but Ggio was falling back, being pushed back by Soifon. He made to swing a punch into her abdomen but his hand was pushed down and Soifon launched into a handstand. In the blink of an eye she had gone from standing on his fist with her hands, and then she was behind him, roundhouse-kicking him so that he flew through the air and landed in the wall. Waiting patiently for him to attack her again, she turned around and casually blocked an attack with Suzumebachi, the sound of metal crashing into metal ringing through the air. He'd tried that trick once. It hadn't worked before, and was never going to.

[TIME]

"Do you accept that you can't win?" Soifon asked, her voice cool, laced with exasperation. She hadn't even broken a sweat, but Ggio was drenched in the stuff, holding his own but flagging quickly. He was growing weary, but still burned with a fierce determination.

"Never," he snarled. Ha. Soifon was mildly impressed he had held his own for this long, and was still as determined as when they started but mostly she was surprised about the difference in his strength. He certainly trained enough, Soifon mused, blocking Reiatsu-infused attacks with ease while dodging kicks and punches. So he'd also somewhat mastered the art of swordfighting while fighting with hand-to-hand combat at the same time, a skill found only in the best of the Onmitsukidō and Squad Two, and maybe in other Shinigami. Not many people she knew could launch perfectly-aimed attacks with their Zanpaktou while executing a series of Hakuda techniques at the same time.

Ggio faltered in an attack, probably growing exhausted, and she took this chance to roundhouse kick him into the ground, sword pointed at his nose. His chin jerked back to take his face as far away from the blade as possible, and the tip of Suzumebachi found its way down to his exposed neck. "Not very wise," she concluded, the tip of her katana lowering ever so slightly. Ggio glared at her, and then disappeared, reappearing behind her. So he'd slipped away, while putting his neck at risk from her blade. Daring.

She spun around to face him, not letting him catch her off-guard. Her stance was still defensive, but her eyes widened the fraction of a centimetre as she spotted him charging up a Cero in his left hand, a sphere of crackling magenta energy. "One last trick," he breathed. He'd shot at her with his fangs, which she'd avoided. He'd fired a few Bala, which weren't very big but that was only because he'd limited his power. And now he was charging up a Cero at her frozen, immobile form. If she was going to move to stop him, she would have already done it.

"You – "

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, half opening them again. "Cero," he murmured softly. Everything happened in a flash: she dived at him, knocking him over and yanking his arm away, so that it shot into the air. The Cero exploded in a cloud of magenta energy, sparks flying and spoke drifting everywhere in the swollen, circular cloud of now-fading energy. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That Cero was way larger than the one he'd fired in their fight, and that fight was a battle to the death (his own). This one was almost Espada-level, proof of how hard he'd been training.

"Enjoying yourself up there?" he asked irritably, and she realized she'd been straddling his front, leg hooked around his with her face above his, her arm holding his own out of the way. Their position was extremely… suggestive. Luckily there was no one around to witness this, although enough people had seen that exploded Cero in the air, the Captain Commander included, one eyebrow raised as he otherwise calmly sipped his tea. Nothing really unusual in the least.

Soifon immediately distanced herself standing immobile in the corner as Ggio slowly got up, wincing and shooting her a mutinous glare, making his way back slowly. Had it been worth it, fighting with her? Maybe. But it was just another reminder of how truly weak he was, even if he'd trained a lot in the last 6 months, 6 months it had taken them to piece his remains together and revive them 6 months until they'd been given the chance to start anew in Soul Society. He knew it was futile to compare himself to a captain of the Gotei 13 and expect something good, but it was just another reminder.

Just another reminder of how he could never compare to those around him.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter has hints of Renji X Rukia and Izuru X Momo ^u^ Welp. Say AYE and the band name if you recognised the name - a song I was obsessed with about... 3 years ago?**

**Please drop a review to tell me how I should have gone better, thanks! Ok done now.**

Whispers in the Dark

"Why?" he mused aloud as he spun around, launching a Bala at a nearby boulder, "Why couldn't I be better?" He'd retreated to the forest to lick his wounds and heal his ego, as Findorr often called it after he had won an argument with Redder. Why did everyone around him have to be so much better than him? These thoughts ran through his mind as he crossly flung another Bala at a tree, charring the bark but otherwise leaving the tree as it was. See, he thought bitterly, he couldn't even change a tree.

He washed himself off at a nearby creek, listening to it gurgle happily as it ran deeper into the woods, rushing past the many stones in its way. It wasn't fair, that he had to be a runt, weaker than those around him no matter how hard he'd worked, but then again nothing was fair. Barragan's opinion of him wasn't exactly high, and often he suspected that Barragan had sent him to fight Soifon just to get rid of him, so Barragan himself could fight without being hindered. It might not have been true, but stung slightly as he considered it.

He splashed his face with water once again and rose from his crouch, dusting his hakama off, setting off for the barracks again with his Sonido, leaving silence in his wake only broken by the sounds of creatures lurking deeper in the forest. Dusk was falling, and the warbles and chirps grew louder as the sky turned darker.

He arrived back at the Squad Two barracks to see almost everyone leaving for the evening, although there were still a few night workers, like the Shinigami on cleaning duty and several Onmitsukidō members – ninjas, he was going to call them – and Shinigami officers filling out reports. They had probably returned from their shifts at whatever city Squad Two governed over, performing Konsō and executing Hollows, he thought with distaste. But he knew it was their duty and soon would be his, whether he liked it or not.

Well, might as well help out or something. He found his way to Soifon's Reiryoku source again, this time less slowly than before, and found her to be in her office again, stacking papers. She didn't so much as look up when he entered the room, he felt a slight pang of irritation at that, and just said, "Evening. What are you doing here?"

"Just seeing if there's anything I could do to help," he said casually, leaning on the doorframe and watching as she hefted a huge pile of documents up into her arms with ease, the sheer height of the pile blocking her range of vision, he noticed with impending horror. "…That pile looks a little big…"

"If you're insinuating that I'm not strong enough to carry all of these, you are sadly mistaken," she answered frostily from behind the pile, "But maybe it is a little high. If you're willing to help…" She strode over and dumped just enough of the pile into Ggio's arms to ensure that she could see with no problems. "I need to take these to Captain Komamura, at the Squad Seven barracks. He will be waiting there, doing his own reports. Many of my own division members are doing the same and cannot spare any time for mere deliveries." She walked out of the room and out of the barracks without dropping a single piece of paper, while the topmost paper of Ggio's pile flew away and he fumbled and grabbed it before dropping anything else.

They walked through the streets of Seireitei, Soifon navigating through the maze-like paths and Ggio struggling to keep up while simultaneously trying not to drop anything. For Soifon, her larger pile often looked like it was teetering and threatening to fall, but she went on, unconcerned, at a steady pace which annoyed Ggio. The sky was a deep navy blue now, and stars twinkled above. "That never happened in Hueco Mundo," Ggio remarked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Mhm."

"So what's this Captain Komamura fellow like?" Ggio inquired as they passed several brightly-lit streetlamps and buildings, also what appeared to be other barracks.

"His appearance may… befuddle you a bit but it's better now that he's stopped wearing that awful bucket helmet on his head," came the reply.

"Not very helpful," Ggio muttered to himself.

Soifon heard him and simply said, "You'll see when we get there."

After a while they finally arrived at the Squad Seven barracks, still brightly lit, and Soifon pushed open the door and entered. The inside looked roughly the same as the Squad Two barracks, and Ggio allowed himself to take a good look around before hurrying to catch up with Soifon. They made their way to the captain's office. Soifon knocked thrice on the door and announced it was her. "Sajin! It's me, Soifon with those documents you requested."

"Come in!" a voice answered, and Soifon pushed the door open. Komamura requested that they leave the paperwork on the couch and they obliged. But once Ggio raised his head to glance at Komamura,he gave a start and a hiss and his hair bristled, eyes widening and pupils dilating to slits. He slunk behind Soifon instinctively, teeth bared in the faintest imitation of a snarl. Komamura just sighed, hanging his furry brown head low. "Another feline Arrancar, I presume?" he rumbled. "That other blue-haired one had a similar reaction. Jae… Jaega… Jaegerjaquez-san."

Soifon sighed in exasperation and flicked Ggio's head with a hand. "You know how it is. Cats just don't seem to like dogs. Most cats, that is."

"Hm." Komamura raised his head to give Ggio a mild, inquisitive stare, and Ggio flinched slightly, his hand drifting over to Tigre Estoque's hilt. If he had fur over his whole body like Komamura, it would have been bristling, for the captain sitting at the desk was a huge anthropomorphic wolf. Komamura explained this to him and his ears flicked. "Thank you, Soifon."

"Please excuse us," Soifon muttered, pushing Ggio out. Komamura's amber eyes seemed to glint with amusement before he turned his head back to the papers in front of him. Once outside, Ggio relaxed, although his pupils were still slits. Suddenly Soifon's warning about befuddlement made sense although it made more sense for her to have used the word 'terrified'. Ggio wouldn't have felt comfortable around Yammy's mutt _Kukkapuro_, let alone a great powerful captain dog that looked fearsome as fuck.

"You never told me he was a _wolf_!" he complained, shooting Soifon a reproachful glare. "I feel so much like a damn idiot!"

Soifon shrugged, maintaining her cold, emotionless stance. "It didn't seem important at the time," she answered coolly. "I trust you can find your way back to the barracks?" Before he could give an answer, she said, "Goodnight," rather coldly, as was her nature, and disappeared silently with Shunpo, leaving Ggio standing motionless in the middle of the street.

-::-

Soifon drifted in and out of slumber that night after returning to her quarters, washing up, and changing into a simple white sleeping yukata. She drew the covers up to her face after reliving a fragment of a rather unpleasant memory. Burying her face in her pillow, she did her best to expel it from her mind. Even as she lay awake and bathed in the frightening memory, the choking scent of sake filled her nostrils and a man's angry shouts filled her ears.

She seemingly attempted to smother herself right there and then, pressing the covers in her face and curling up into a fetal position. Her breathing was rapid and erratic, but eventually slowed to a steady pace as she drifted off into sleep again, but not mercifully. For her dreams were filled with memories of her life before the Gotei 13. Before Yoruichi.

Shouting. There was angry shouting. She was huddled underneath a table in the old Feng Manor, squeezed next to her older siblings who were almost as terrified as she was. Grandma wasn't here today. Footsteps echoed around the room, as well as the soft _clinks_ of sake bottles, their gleaming ceramic exterior reflecting the light of the moon.

The shouting voices were of a teenage boy, barely even a man, and the drunken slurs of a man who was their father, but had regressed into being an abusive _drunk._ Heavily inebriated, he dealt a blow to the boy's head, watched him stumble and walked away. Soifon – Shaolin as she was known then – suppressed a whimper and tears leaked at the sides of her eyes, but she forced them back. She could not cry. Her siblings were older than her, and they didn't cry. She couldn't.

_"Shtupid bratsh… Away with yeh!"_ the slurred voice shouted as footsteps stormed up the stairs, slamming the door so hard it echoed throughout the house. Soifon then whimpered, silent tears leaking from her eyes. Her brothers dared not move, even as the clumsy thuds from upstairs ceased, and there was the soft creak of the bed as their father sank into it.

The boy propped himself up on one arm and stared emptily at the ground with hollow eyes… Shaolin let herself cry quietly then as they finally crawled out from under the cover of the drooping tablecloth. The scent of sake lingered… and she stumbled, wiping at her face with small hands. She was only a small child, but already having to deal with this. The bed upstairs creaked again, and there were more angry shouts as footsteps thumped, the warning of her father coming down the stairs and the children scattered. The eldest boy, the one lying winded on the ground, scrambled to his feet in an attempt to get little Shaolin to safety, but she was grabbed shrieking by the arm -

Soifon gave a start and woke up, her breath once again coming in rapid, short gasps. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her eyes shone with unshed tears as she sat up and drew her legs close to herself, rocking back and forth, letting the tears flow freely… Even though they were all long gone, she couldn't rid herself of memories of her family… or what had been left of it after her mother had gone. Her father _hated_ them, she especially, for her mother had died bringing her into the world, a squalling, insufferable brat as her father often called her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and covered herself with her quilt. Her room had hardly ever been called imposing or threatening, but right now it was, the open window letting moonlight flood the room, various items forming long shadows that looked too human for her liking… She tried to steady her breathing and go back to sleep, but she was still in fear of more memories, whispering in her ears flooding her head and driving her insane.

Even as she lay down, buried under the covers, the whispers in the dark flooded her mind… All those words her 'father' had used against them… Words that would stay with them forever and ring in their minds, words that would cause them to break down into a quivering wreck every time they were uttered. Soifon bit her lip, trying not to cry out with her sobs, unaware of the blood coursing through the wounds.

After having another row with her eldest brother, always ending up in him lying winded and bleeding on the floor, her father had always muttered angrily to himself... Shaolin herself had been beaten too, and her other brothers... They'd been caught hiding and hadn't run away fast enough, and as they'd lie sobbing silently on the floor, for fear of their father overhearing and beating them again. Their weak and fragile bodies couldn't deal with this, and they struggled with it. They'd huddle together in fear, away from their father who would sit in his chair and swirl the contents of his cup around aimlessly, whispering curses into the darkness.

When their grandmother would come home, their father would disappear for days on end until she returned to where she was being looked after, as her body was old and feeble, but she was still fierce and fiery, and would give him more than a good tongue-lashing if she ever caught him. She'd tended to them and left them hidden supplies that her father, in his drunken, inebriated state, would never find. Akihiro would try and fix them up, his precious youngest sister first and himself last.

But they'd all be frozen in terror, never able to rid themselves of the drunken whispers, echoing off the darkened walls and rattling around in their skulls.

-::-

She did a good job of concealing her suffering the next day at work. She'd already reprimanded Omaeda for getting rice cracker crumbs on her flooring, sent her officers to their various shifts and assigned missions to others. And then there was Ggio, hanging around awkwardly in the division barracks. It hadn't been tested yet, but Soifon was pretty sure Arrancar Zanpaktou couldn't perform Konsō, send souls to Soul Society or purify other hollows.

She ran a tongue over the slight, unhealed wounds on her bottom lip. They didn't bother her so much as the lasting damage her so-called _father_ had done. When she died in this world, she at least hoped to be reincarnated into the real world with at least one living parent as good as... her mother before she died, or her father before he turned into a drunk, abusive asshole. Her lip curled slightly, making the wounds sting, but she didn't care. If her father could see her now...

She drove these thoughts out of her mind, driving the palm of her hand into her furrowed forehead. It would be best to not dwell on the past... Or any accompanying dreams, she thought tiredly, and walked to her office. To her surprise, Ggio trailed after her, obviously without anything to do. She tried to ignore his irritating presence behind her, as well as the faint buzz of Reiryoku he always emitted, but to no avail.

"There's nothing for an Arrancar to do," he said plainly, crossing his arms. "I wish they could have thought of this _before_ announcing it."

How his mere presence annoyed her. The enemy she had killed a little over a year ago. But she was good at controlling her emotions. "What do you want me to do about it?" she asked coolly in response.

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I dunno. Anything I can do to help instead of... just... hanging around the barracks like your common village idiot?" He tried for a grin but it came out slightly forced and looking more like a grimace.

Soifon didn't answer immediately. They rounded a corner and she opened the door to her office, and began shuffling piles of paper on the couch into four neat stacks and put them into folders. Ggio slipped inside, and stood motionless beside the door-frame, watching. Soifon ignored him, inserting files into various paper folders she had, and replaced it on the desk. Ggio made to open his mouth to talk, but she just said, "Wait," which effectively shut him up, although he glared at her rather mutinously. Ggio drifted over to the folders, picking up the sides to peer at the documents within. They all looked boring.

Soifon opened the blinds and sunlight filtered in through the window and into Ggio's eyes, and he squinted and stepped back. Soifon held back a small, triumphant smile and picked up a pencil, scribbling a few words on each folder. She picked the folders up and handed them to Ggio. "What do I do with these?" he asked bemusedly.

"You were bored," Soifon answered dismissively, "so I've a job for you. These files need to be delivered to other captains, and I've written the squad number on them. There's not much hurry, so you've plenty of time to wander around and try not to get lost while trying to find them, and after you've delivered them, feel free to grow accustomed to Seireitei. I don't want an officer who'll get lost all the time in my division." Her expression hardened. "And don't try fighting with anyone. There's enough idiots who pick fights all the time, and I don't want one of them in here."

"Oookay," he muttered, turning on his heel and marching out. Soifon watched him go and then began to work on clearing her desk. She hoped he wouldn't suddenly turn into a mindless, violent brute upon nearing potential opponents and start fighting, because enough of that had already happened, and she would know if he did, she thought, eyes narrowing. And she could easily whoop his ass if he tried.

She shaded her eyes against the glaring sunlight shining through the window. Picking up a small, ceramic cat figurine from her desk, she thought bitterly, if only her _father _could see her now. If only her _father _could see that the ungrateful, useless, squalling brat had gone through even more hardship just to end up gaining a position higher than what he could have ever achieved, all through hard work and determination. And he'd never expected _her_, the youngest of the litter, so as to speak, to become the captain of the assassination squad. She snorted. If he was still alive, she'd kick his ass and repay him for all the beatings and abuse he'd dealt to her and her older brothers over the years. What an honour. Being spanked like a child by the captain of Squad Two.

She choked back several sobs as she considered what her brothers would say. Would they be proud? Or scared or resentful that _she'd _survived and worked so hard to gain this position. She remembered her oldest brother, Akihiro, how he'd stood up for them. He'd definitely be proud, as he'd told her many times that she was his precious little sister. But he was dead, the last of her brothers to die on a mission, his third mission.

_Selfish, stupid brats. _She suppressed a scream as her father's words came rushing back to her, whispered into the night air over a cup of sake.


	6. Chapter 6

Driven by Jealousy

Ggio walked around Seireitei, feeling oddly annoyed. Every single time, it was like she got tired of him and brushed him off. But that wasn't exactly fair, he mused, seeing as she had so much work to do. And he'd openly stated he was bored and had nothing to do, and she'd given him a menial task to do... But it stung slightly being treated like he was less than dirt sometimes, even if that was an exaggeration.

He swore he wandered around the whole of Seireitei. There were several gardens with fish ponds full of huge, leaping koi, and several stores and izakayas where Shinigami on their breaks laughed and drank with each other. There was a glasses store called the Gin Tonbo - the Silver Dragonfly - that sold rip-off glasses that were overwhelmingly expensive. He also caught sight of the lieutenant of Squad Ten - Rangiku, was it? - poking around a pharmacy, Tomorrow'sTiger Pharmacy - Ashita Tora Yakkyoku. She was a curvaceous woman with long, strawberry-blonde hair. The name of the pharmacy appealed to him for some reason, and the woman kept looking around furtively as if being watched. Ggio glanced sideways at a spa called Shinigami's Health Land - Shinigami Kenkō Rando - and thought to himself that they ought to change the name soon, as not only Shinigami would be attending soon if it interested the Arrancar.

He paused and looked to his right. A high wall was there, with a large doorway further down. He could see several large trees towering over the wall, and walked a little further to the large, blue doors. Above them, the kanji for 6 was painted in black, taking up most of the space. He hesitated, looking down at the four folders he held. Flipping to the second one, he saw that he had to deliver it to the captain... Kuchiki Byakuya? And he had a lieutenant called Abarai something... He remembered that the lieutenant was tall and sported many tribal tattoos, and had wild red hair tied back in a high ponytail, while the captain's hair was black and silky, Urahara had said, and the last time he saw him he wore kenseikan on his head... Not that Ggio knew what kenseikan were. Hell, he didn't even remember half of what Kisuke told him in the briefing after Jinta snapped a not-so-flattering picture of him.

He brushed those thoughts away and stepped forward so he was in front of the doors. He knocked on them, but no one answered, so he tentatively pushed one open, peering inside to a large, empty courtyard, similar to the one in Squad Two's barracks, but slightly smaller. He made his way inside, and immediately noted how there was a lack of black-robed ninjas. But then again they were the Onmitsukidō and had nothing to do with the other squads. The atmosphere was still a little imposing, even though it was louder than Squad Two. Then he realized it was someone's Reiatsu source, and they were releasing it as a warning. It succeeded in making him jumpy and on edge though, and he found himself tiptoeing around instead of walking normally.

"Ack!" There was a loud crash, a string of creative curse words and Ggio winced. "_Renji!_" a voice shouted.

"It wasn't my fault there was a stack of empty boxes there!" another voice grumbled, and two figures emerged from a corner. A tall, red-haired man covered in tribal tattoos and a short, petite woman with hair styled in a neat bob. They were both dazed, and the woman had an arm wrapped around the man's arm and was staggering, not that the man was doing any better. "Rukia, did you ever even check the plans?"

"No..." She trailed off as they noticed Ggio and froze. The woman, who Ggio supposed was Rukia, slowly reddened, cheeks taking on a pinkish-red flush. Red's ears - or rather Renji - reddened slowly. "Oh hello..."

"Captain Kuchiki is going to be furious with us," Renji said finally in a low voice to Rukia, who stepped on his foot. "Ow!"

"I'm not even gonna ask what you were doing," Ggio said slowly, forgetting the reason he was here.

Rukia huffed. "I thought that cart holding Chappy would actually slide well on the ice," she muttered, half to herself, half to the others, "not just ignore the ramp and land on Renji."

Renji snorted. "I stepped back and tried to catch it, but look. Empty boxes everywhere. It's not like you had any more luck!"

Rukia spluttered with indignation. "I tried to catch it!" she cried, slapping Renji's arm, "But then I fell on _you!_"

"Yeah, _you _fell on _me_!" Renji held Rukia's thrashing form away from him.

Ggio broke in. "I'm still here."

They froze again and stopped bickering. Renji straightened up. "Alright," he said rather awkwardly, "So you're from Squad Two? I was expecting some files."

"As was I," Rukia broke in. She eyed the folders curiously. "I'm guessing those are..." She squinted, trying to remember something, "those?" Apparently it was which word would be a more eloquent response.

Renji snorted and Ggio laughed nervously. They wore armbands of the sixth and thirteenth divisions respectively, Renji and Rukia. Was this how lieutenants usually acted? "Well, I've got them here."

"Good, thank you," Renji said, relieved, as he took one folder from Ggio. Rukia took another labelled '13', murmuring her thanks. The threatening Reiatsu flared up and they all winced.

"Well you'd better get out of here," Rukia said slowly, "Nii-sama isn't going to approve of a Hollow in his barracks..."

"I can see that," Ggio grumbled as the Reiatsu flared up again. "Bye then." He exited the building, now with two less folders.

He checked the other two folders. Squad Three and Squad Eight. Interesting, he thought as he continued on his way, ignoring odd glances from other Shinigami. Since he had just passed Squad Six, Squad Eight would be closer? Well he was right, but also wrong, having gone the wrong way. From a map of Seireitei, if read the right way, Squad One was situated at the north of the circular city. To its lower right, on the map, was Two. On One's lower left was Three. Below Two was Four, and below Three was Five, eventually ending in Thirteen and Twelve facing each other from the left and right sides of the map respectively. The one who'd designed the order of the buildings had obviously not considered its factors in actually walking to find the, but it was a pretty orderly map, one could admit. At the southernmost point of the circular-walled city was the Shin'o Academy.

Ggio ended up wondering why Squad Eight was so far away from Squad Six, when in fact they were right beside each other and he had just missed it. As he passed the huge, towering buildings of Squad One with its huge doors, and another huge doorway quite close by for the hall in which captain meetings were held, he looked upon Squad Three. Ah, might as well tackle this one first, he thought. He approached the large doorway, with an orange roof and a long white wall. The roof was ornately-carved, and a white gap was filled with the kanji for 3. He walked up to it and pushed the door open, expecting another courtyard but that wasn't the case. It was a bustling division barracks and corridors, and presumably the courtyard was behind it.

He asked around where the lieutenant was, and that he was in his office. And then he asked around for where the office was, and got garbled directions from orderly Shinigami and flustered, hurrying Shinigami alike. He stumbled around the barracks, with its twisting, confusing design. There were several leftover... decorations that no one had bothered taking down, and dried persimmons seemed to be a delicacy here, one that not many people actually enjoyed. It was a warm, friendly environment, but seemed to radiate confusion and something... trickstery was the only word Ggio would come up with, and it wasn't even one. The setting in the barracks was casual, all told... very _Ichimaru-like_. Ggio suppressed a shudder as he remembered Aizen's companion, the grinning fox-faced man who seemed to out-snake Sung-Sun, and Sung-Sun's base animal _was _a snake.

He finally arrived at what looked like the lieutenant's office, but two people were already inside. The door was open, and a slim man was sitting on the couch, face buried in hands and mumbling flatly about something. His hair was pale blond, and looked as if it would usually hang over his left eye. Beside him, a short, slender girl only slightly taller than Rukia sat and was earnestly talking to him, trying to feed him cookies, which she was insisting were freshly-baked and homemade. The man looked as if he was having an existential crisis, mumbling half to himself about Ichimaru Gin, and from the way the girl was acting - she even had a bob-cut hairstyle like Rukia - this happened often.

He suddenly recognized the man as the one who defeated Redder. He bristled. The man didn't look like much, but he had spoken dark words and beheaded Redder with one swing of his Zanpaktou. He was pretty sure Redder still had nightmares of being beheaded by a gloomy Shinigami, as he'd spoken in his sleep a few times much to the amusement and annoyance of Findorr and Ggio when they were woken up with a start, back when they still had to share a room. The girl he recognized as one of the two lieutenants that had gone up against Halibel's Fraccion, the Tres Bestia. With a shock, he realized that the lieutenant he saw poking around in the pharmacy was also up against Halibel's three Fraccion. He'd seen that much while he was fighting Soifon.

Not wanting to disturb the two lieutenants, judging from their armbands, Ggio slid the folder labeled '3' into the room silently and scurried away, now with only one folder. Now to find the Squad Eight barracks. Needless to say, he did quite a bit of wandering around before he actually found it. There were quite a few explosions from battles that were happening between the Arrancar and Shinigami, but they were nothing more than friendly spars... right? It was hard to believe that they were, but sometimes they went too far, mostly with the 'brutes from Squad Eleven' as Soifon called them. Squad Two and Squad Eleven seemed to have their differences... but that was nothing compared to Squad Eleven and Squad Four.

He finally reached the barracks, noting with annoyance how close it was to the Squad Six barracks, but pushed those thoughts away as he faced the imposing gray walls, with a plain flight of stairs between them. It was all very simple, but Ggio was sure now that there were 'wonders' behind those plain gray walls, as Ichimaru and Tousen had always said... the one thing they seemed to actually agree on... But they were dead, and the technology that would allow Arrancar to be resurrected probably didn't work on Shinigami, even twisted, Hollowfied Shinigami. Ggio huffed and leaped over the wall. "I ain't taking no more of their shit," he muttered to himself, using Sonido to get closer to the barracks.

The main building was a tiered white building with ornate orange roofs, five levels but the topmost level just seemed to be a roof on a small room, or set of rooms. On the second level there were less windows, and a large kanji symbol for '8'. He pushed open the door to the building, peering inside. The interior of the barracks he had visited so far all looked fairly similar, despite the different outward appearance. Tousen would probably say, "Even though our outer appearances are different; some of us are small and puny, some of us are large and regal, but we are all one on the inside." He'd bow his head and add, "As I am blind, I cannot see these outward appearances. I only see the character inside, that we are all the same, and that is what defines people. That is what comes with unseeing eyes - we are one." Ggio snorted. As if. Aizen was infatuated with power and obviously considered himself 'Kami', and above them all. He'd fed Tousen some twisted lies and half-truths to keep him loyal, because Tousen was the only one impossible to affect from Aizen's illusionist, hypnotizey-wizey Zanpaktou, Kyoka Suigetsu, all because he was blind. But thinking back in his slight nostalgia, he could agree there were a few upsides to being blind. As well as not being able to see things that offended the eye.

He glanced sideways at all the sake bottles on the shelf. Was that natural decor for the inside of a working environment? He wasn't watching where he was going, and bumped into a hard surface, a large, heavy book. "Ack!" Rubbing his forehead, he could see a slender woman in front of him, only a centimetre taller than him, for some reason holding a book up at eye level. She was paused beside a window, features scrunched up in concentration. She wore round-rimmed glasses and had her hair tied in a bun. She was so deeply immersed in her book that she hadn't even noticed Ggio had bumped into it. Armbands seemed to be required of lieutenants, as she was plainly the lieutenant of the Eighth Division. "Excuse me... ma'am?" he added at the end, for she was youthful but had a slightly strict and fiery temperament to her not unlike Soifon.

"Oh, sorry," she said, lowering the book and taking it out of the light. "I was just..." She cleared her throat. "Do you need anything?" she asked mildly, scrutinizing him through her glasses. He blinked. She seemed miffed about something, and even though her annoyance wasn't directed at him, he was wary all the same.

"Y-yes!" He found his voice. "I needed to deliver these files from Squad Two to either you or your captain." He wasn't sure why, but he had the feeling he needed to be polite with her, as she looked like she could easily smack someone upside the head with that heavy book of hers. Looking more closely, he could see there was a stain on it. Perhaps that was why she was annoyed, and holding the book up for better light.

He handed her the folders and she said her thanks. "I'm afraid our captain is... out of sorts right now," she said with distaste, "Inebriated, in fact. But thank you." She grabbed the book, inclined her head and turned around. Ggio immediately stalked off to get out of the building and Sonido back to the Squad Two barracks. He made it outside the building, down the stairs and outside the walls before bumping into someone and realizing he'd forgotten to use Sonido.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, then paused. Standing in front of hi m was a big, burly man with thick eyebrows and strange hair taste - it was braided in two pigtails that honestly looked terrible. They were like a half-assed mockery of Soifon's plaits. They didn't fit this man. His customized shihakusho left the left side of his chest and abdomen bare and there was a tattoo of three tomoe encircling each other on his left shoulder. And he was glowering down at Ggio, who was glowering back.

"You dare to talk to a Third Seat in that voice, Arrancar?" he thundered. "Show some respect!"

"Alright, alright," Ggio muttered, raising his hands and flapping them. "_Sorry_."

The man was easily 40 centimetres taller than him, which bugged Ggio, and it insulted him more when the man made a show of lowering himself to Ggio's eye level. "That didn't sound very respectful, did it now...?" They glared at each other and the man straightened up, crossing his arms. "Enjoji Tatsufusa. State your name and squad so I can send a complaint to your captain," he sneered.

Ggio snorted. "Ggio Vega," he returned, "Squad Two."

"Wooah!? Squad Two?" Enjoji leaned back, his face a picture of surprise.

"Yeah," Ggio muttered, "If you're scared, back off. If you're not, also back off."

Instead of stepping back or snorting, the man threw back his head and laughed. "OH! You are going to get _whipped_! Captain Soifon doesn't approve of rule-breakers - "

"Since when was I breaking the rules?" Ggio asked irritably. "Look, _sorry_, and if you could just let me - "

"Return to your barracks?" Enjoji's eyes narrowed. "Are you running errands for her like a mangy mutt?"

Ggio's anger flared. "_Mutt?_"

"Listen here, you're the only Arrancar that joined that squad, yeah?" Enjoji leaned down and prodded Ggio in the chest, hard. Ggio slapped his hand away. "Most wouldn't. So that means you have a hidden motive." Enjoji leaned down close to his face. "If you make any moves - "

Ggio coughed. "Uh, _no_. Why would I even...? You can have her, she's a cold, ungrateful, ruthless - "

"You _dare _insult her?!"

Ggio went on, "And personally I can't stand being in her presence. I just wanted something to do that would keep me busy. You can have her," he scoffed.

Enjoji's eyes narrowed further and he yanked Ggio's braid. "A fine choice of hair..." he mused. "Perhaps you were imitating her in order to get her to like you, HM?"

"Isn't that what you did?!" Ggio snapped, whipping his fist around and slamming it into Enjoji's wrist. "I had it since I was reborn from the Hogyoku, when I was made into an Arrancar!" His eyes glinted murderously. "It's part of my Resurreccion."

"So what if I chop it off...?" In a flash, Enjoji's sword swung upwards, aiming to cut his braided ponytail but Ggio slammed his foot into Enjoji's gut, sending him flying away and leaving his braid untouched.

"I don't know what will happen to my Resurreccion if you cut that off," he growled menacingly, "but I was a sabre-tooth tiger as an Adjuchas." He advanced slowly and threateningly. "That braid is my _tail_, since I couldn't have a tail in this... this humanoid state."

"You wanna go, bastard?" Enjoji swung his sword at Ggio, who deflected it with ease.

"If beating your ass will get you to stop heckling me," Ggio said lazily, blocking another attack. "_Please_."

Enjoji breathed heavily through his nose. "Alright then, asshole. It is ON!"


	7. Chapter 7

In Empty Corners

Enjoji flew at Ggio, who sidestepped and swung his sword at his back. It sliced through the back of his shihakusho, and drew a little blood. Enjoji only laughed. "Not bad, little kitty!"

Ggio's eyes narrowed and he curled his lip. "_Kitty?_" he hissed.

"That's right!" Enjoji dived at Ggio again, and this time his sword scored a mark. But it slid harmlessly down Ggio's Hierro. "What the - ?"

"My Hierro," Ggio sneered, "Looks like I'm more powerful than you!" He used this moment when Enjoji was caught by surprise to Sonido behind him and slice him again. Enjoji turned around and blocked the attack, but he was still startled and he was slowing.

"But how - "

"You obviously didn't listen to whatever lessons they gave you on Arrancar." They flew apart, and Ggio flew at Enjoji again, attacking him viciously with rapid sword strikes, katana flying in a blur. "Our Hierro protects us from most things like the cold and sharp things." They flew apart again. "Especially attacks from the _weaker_."

"You - !" Enjoji braced himself for another round of attacks from Ggio, rapidly swinging his Zanpaktou around so it became a blur of motion. Circular swinging, and the spinning sword moved left and right. Ggio was unable to land any attacks, lest his katana get caught up in Enjoji's spinning one and sent flying. "I have my own defense mechanism," Enjoji said smugly. Oh, how Ggio wanted to wipe the smug smirk off the taller, beefier man in front of him. The sounds accompanying the spinning motion of the sword were ridiculous, and Ggio would have collapsed from fits of laughter if he wasn't trying so hard to control himself and look menacing.

They fought like this for longer: Enjoji wildly spinning and swinging his Zanpaktou rapidly in circles, accompanied by ridiculous sound effects, while Ggio used Sonido to flit around him faster than he could swing his sword. "This is rather pointless, don't you think?" Ggio muttered, diving and rolling to avoid the spinning blades. "You can't cut my Hierro and I can't get a swing in through your blade!" He dived aside to avoid a swipe. "Don't we both have better things to do?" he demanded.

But it was clear they were both flagging, and Ggio was thoroughly exasperated by Enjoji's fervent belief that he was out to... how do you put this... 'steal his girl' as he had once cried after Ggio almost sliced one of _his _braided pigtails off. And Ggio kept trying to explain he didn't have any interest whatsoever, but that imbecilic lunkhead just wouldn't listen... It wasn't _Ggio's _fault that the three of them had braided hair.

Enjoji exerted an amount of Reiatsu, pale red, streaming from his form. "Come on!" he bellowed.

"Is that all you've got?" Ggio asked quietly, emitting his own magenta-coloured Reiatsu. Both of theirs shot into the sky as Enjoji began attacking him, and they both fought with Reiatsu-infused attacks, Enjoji swinging his Zanpaktou in the same fashion as before, and with more crazy sounds. Ggio was faster, darting around and landing several hits on him. He was wary of what would happen if he badly wounded the imbecile, and he might have gotten in serious trouble. If what Enjoji said was true, then Ggio doubted they'd trust an Arrancar more than a Third Seat Shinigami officer.

He was confused, as his and Enjoji's Reiatsu flared up in the sky (his own was more prominent, Ggio thought), no one came running to arrest them or anything. In truth, everyone saw it and was impressed by the flashy shows of energy soaring around in the sky, pale red and magenta clashing with each other. There were also clangs, buzzes and crackles of Sonido to accompany it. They were both tiring, Enjoji from continuously swinging around his katana (his voice was also getting hoarse from all the creative sound effects) and using Sonido and Reiatsu-infused attacks was draining Ggio. They were both slowing, and the Reiatsu signals in the sky were buzzing and failing.

Soifon was in her office at the time, having gotten over a bout of what she called 'nostalgic trauma', berating herself for dwelling on something that was long gone. She was filing her paperwork and attempting to tidy her cluttered desk, but there were booms and crashes in the distance, as well as the Reiatsu of someone annoying and pesky, and generally untrustworthy as of now, she decided. Oh, she was going to go over there and he'll regret fighting and going against her orders. She flew to the door, dropping a few papers in her haste. The drifted to the floor and slid a good distance but she ignored them, disappearing to apprehend Ggio.

Ggio and Enjoji were still fighting, Ggio had darted behind the man and kicked him in the back, sending him flying. He stood over Enjoji, his sword pointed down at his neck. He opened his mouth to say, "I win," but as soon as the words left his mouth, a greater Reiatsu dwarfed theirs, extinguishing it without any trouble. For a wild moment he thought it would be Barragan, as his old master usually did that to punish them, but it was Soifon.

He and Enjoji were rendered motionless, a layer of sweat on their foreheads. Enjoji was breathing heavily, incapacitated, and Ggio's knees nearly buckled beneath them, wobbling for a moment. He turned around to look at the source of all the golden-yellow Reiatsu pressing down on them in a choking hold. The sheer feeling of the Reiatsu was like someone slipping their knife between his ribs. His hand flew to his ribs as the feeling subsided, surprised when there was no handle.

"Didn't I explicitly tell you not to pick a fight with anyone?" Soifon asked quietly and dangerously calmly beside his ear.

The choking Reiatsu hold had disappeared but Ggio quailed under her gaze. "H-he started it," he muttered childishly.

"Even so, you could have avoided it." Soifon's voice was still deadly calm, and she gestured for him to follow her. "Look at this damage," she said tonelessly, "Which I'll have to pay for. The guy _is _a Third Seat, so... If they're as against Hollows as Byakuya, then there's no way they'll believe it was _him _who started the fight, even if it happens to be true. And then I'll be the one who ends up being charged for a member of my squad behaving disorderly." She snorted as Enjoji scrambled away, clearly enjoying the sight of Ggio getting chewed out by Soifon. "And him... He's got an ego to match his size," Soifon stated, her lip curling. "Loud and... conspicuous. Come. Clearly I'll be charged so you'll have to have _some _kind of punishment."

They went back to the Squad Two barracks with Shunpo and Sonido respectively, disappearing. Enjoji could only stare forlornly at the spot where they stood. "Sh-she doesn't l-like m-me," he stammered miserably.

-::-

"Come." Soifon led Ggio on, past the collection of buildings which made up the Squad Two barracks. Soifon led him through an inconspicuous doorway; he hadn't noticed it at first but now as he was going through it, he wondered what lay behind the door. He then discovered it was a hidden forest, with a long pathway through it. "Follow me," Soifon murmured quietly, walking through. Ggio just crossed his arms behind his head, exhaling through his nose.

"So where're you takin' me?" he asked while yawning. They were walking deeper into the forest, and the deeper they went, the darker it got. Soon the trees blocked out the sunlight, and Ggio was alert for any rustling within the trees. His arms might have been behind his head in a nonchalant, nonthreatening way but that didn't mean he could take out Tigre Estoque and slice someone's ear off if danger approached.

"The Maggot's Nest," was the reply as they traipsed on.

Ggio's ears pricked. "The Maggot's Nest?"

"Yes. Detention Unit."

"Oh. So like a jail?"

"You might call it that."

"Oh." This wasn't at all like a punishment, unless she was locking him up in there for sometime. "You're not locking me up in here, are you?"

"Of course not."

"Okay. So... You're like a jailer?"

"More like a babysitter," came the response. "There's no one in the position of Third Seat, nor Corps Commander of the Detention Unit, so Omaeda and I switch positions over this department. After Aizen's betrayal, there were a lot of empty positions, particularly captain spots. But since the Vizards came back, we have filled those positions up. But not this one."

"Hm. What does the Detention Unit do? What does the Maggot's Nest house?"

"Shinigami that are considered dangerous to Soul Society."

"What, so... no trial? Just thrown here into jail with some figurehead strutting around in front of them?" Ggio asked irritably.

Soifon sniffed. "When a Shinigami becomes a potential threat to those around them, they are put in here, regardless of whether or not they're on trial. The conditions aren't all that bad. They have suitable living conditions, fresh food and water and facilities to use. They have tables and chairs and are free to walk around and converse with each other. But they are just not permitted to set foot outside the center. Think of it as... rehabilitation."

"So you put a few potentially-dangerous guys in there for rehab?"

"In most cases they can never come out. It's located in our squad's property, across a thirty-metre long moat," she said just as they approached a bridge. They crossed it and walked through two high, concrete walls with the kanji for 2 on them. "They can never be let out, because their ideals may pose a threat to the citizens of Soul Society."

"Oh. That's depressing."

"Indeed..." Soifon kept walking. "They are only sentenced to solitary confinement if they posed definite danger, and were sadistic, sociopathic madmen like Kurotsuchi Mayuri?."

"Well, I know he's crazy and... well that describes him, but what does he have to do with solitary confinement?"

"He used to dwell there. He was considered highly dangerous and more than a potential threat with his experiments and was locked up."

Ggio snorted. "He still does that. May I ask _why_ and _how_ he managed to get out of that place?"

"Urahara Kisuke," Soifon said with distaste and an undertone of high disgust. Ggio didn't blame her. If what he and the rest of the Arrancar had to endure on their trip to Soul Society was that asshole's idea of fun was... Soifon continued, "He came here after being appointed captain of Squad Twelve - "

"But that's crazy! That ridiculous shopkeeper used to be a-a Shinigami Captain!"

Soifon sighed. "As much as I hate to say this... He really is more powerful than you think, even though he's a lazy, childish, undisciplined fool." Ggio held back a snicker at her words. "And still Yoruichi-sama had a high amount of respect for him!" she cried, on the verge of a rant. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. " There was an... event caused by that bastard Aizen which caused the Vizard captains to become who they were - like you Arrancar, but Shinigami-based instead of altered Gillians or Adjuchas given human form."

Ggio raised his hand. "Not all of us were Gillians or Adjuchas."

"Yes I know of Tia Halibel. But after this they were exiled, as the Central 46 and Captain Commander Yamamoto were tricked and fed the wrong information. Shihoin Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke and Tessai Tsukabishi were part of this, as Kisuke and Tessai tried to save the captains. But it was too late. Kisuke was exiled and stripped of his titles and position, and Tessai was sentenced to Shugo, the third level of the Central Great Underground Prison below the First Squad headquarters. Aizen Sousuke was sentenced to 20,000 years in Muken, the eighth and final level."

Ggio rubbed his eyes. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Why shan't I?" Soifon closed her eyes for a moment hen opened them again, turning back to him. "It's general knowledge that most people don't care for, and I suggest you know it if you are going to be a part of the Gotei 13, the 13 court guard squads. And if you rebel..." She left that question hanging in the air, letting Ggio know fully well that any punishment for any traitor was way more severe. She continued filling him in as they walked. "Kisuke was wrongly accused of Hollowfying those captains and lieutenants - the Vizards - and Tessai was guilty of using forbidden Kidō, but the reason was different and for a somewhat noble cause."

"Heh. Somewhat."

Soifon ignored him. "Yoruichi rescued them and escaped with them to the Human World, along with the eight Hollowfied Shinigami. But they were still exiled." She rubbed her forehead. "We've strayed so far off the track..." It took Ggio a moment to realize she was talking about their conversation, not the actual track to the Maggot's Nest. "Well, Kisuke offered him a position as Third Seat in the old Squad Twelve, but after he was exiled, along with his lieutenant - who was one of the Vizards - Kurotsuchi took over and built Nemu."

"Wait, so that woman is actually a robot?"

"Somewhat. She is an artificial soul, but capable of emotion, although it is limited and she never shows anything more than a straight face when in the presence of her captain. Well, you know enough of Kurotsuchi Mayuri to guess what the type of people in solitary confinement are... And here we are." Soifon led him to an unforgiving cliff face with an iron door. She pushed it open to reveal an underground cave filled with stalagmites, stalactites and small, blinking lights embedded within the bluish stone faces. There was a long flight of stairs leading down to another iron doorway. They walked down in silence until they reached it.

"Wow. Odd place for a first date," Ggio remarked jokingly, looking around the dank area. Soifon just shot him a withering look.

"No weapons allowed in the Detention Area," she ordered, "so leave your Zanpaktou outside in this designated area."

"Wait, what?" Ggio gestured to the door. "But if they can walk around freely, they aren't restrained! They'd be resentful and might attack us!"

"That is why I brought you here. Any visitors _must _be capable of subduing a prisoner with their bare hands, and I'm sure you can handle it." She took out her Zanpaktou and laid it there, and so did Ggio, albeit rather reluctantly. Tigre Estoque was screaming in his head, demanding to know why he did that.

They opened the door to the inside, and Ggio shielded his eyes against the light. When his eyes adjusted, his sight fell on the inside of the room. "Wow. That is just - " he searched for the right word " - depressing."

"Indeed." It was a large room with yellow-green rocky walls, and wooden floorboards. There were balconies carved out of the wall with railings, and plenty of tables and chairs. There were other rooms that were for facilities and dorms, Ggio supposed. Plenty of people were in here, clothed in white robes with black belts, milling around and making incoherent sounds. They all had a dead, distant, faraway look in their eyes. "Careful. They might randomly attack you."

"Wow. What happened to these people?" Ggio muttered to Soifon, keeping close behind her. These people looked... like they were no longer there. Like they had the soul squeezed out of them.

"The plain and dreary settings can drive one to madness if kept holed up in here long enough. And no, they haven't done anything."

"Eh?"

"I told you earlier." She sounded exasperated. "They haven't done anything so they can't be punished. But if they're let out, then they may pose a danger to Soul Society. There was that one man who would frequently boast that he'd one day rule over Seireitei." Soifon indicated a slouched man in the corner, head hanging, with a mop of black hair. He turned to look at them with dull brown eyes. "Big Mouth, as he was called. If a Shinigami gets powerful enough, that may be possible. But anyone with those ideals could endanger squad missions. He has already done that, and put the lives of his squad members in danger many times. Oddly though, last time when Kisuke and Hiyori came here he was more lively, Soifon noticed. He must have been driven to madness then and there. He even went so far as to take Hiyori hostage, but that hadn't gone well for him.

Ggio pursed his lips, looking around at all the inmates. "So this many people posed a threat to Soul Society, eh..."

"Yes. The duties of looking after them, being their 'babysitter' are left to the Third Seat of Squad Two. The Third Seat is the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit. I am the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia, those black-robed ninjas walking around the squad. Omaeda is the Corps Commander of the Patrol Corps. I doubt that Third Seat you just fought has the skill to head this department," she said with distaste. Ggio held back a snicker at the thought of Enjoji's 'beloved' speaking about him so mockingly.

Soifon gazed around the Maggot's Nest with sad, doleful eyes. So many. They had the wrong ideals; instead of protecting Soul Society, they posed a threat. Now they were imprisoned here and driven to madness. Ggio saw her and said quickly, "Let's go."

"Good idea," Soifon murmured. They exited the sat, dismal-looking room within the caverns, away from the poor souls who were... misled, to say. They walked back out in silence, arriving at Seireitei with a subdued air. There was a large crowd outside, and driven by curiosity, Ggio crept closer, a reluctant Soifon trailing behind, also curious as to what was causing it. They pushed their way through the crowd of tall, burly-looking men. And they smelled. Soifon wrinkled her nose at their lack of personal hygiene. They had obviously forgone washing, or had recently fought and gotten very sweaty.

They poked their heads through the gaps to find themselves in a giant crowd in the shape of a ring enclosing two people sparring furiously. Kenpachi and Nnoitra. Ggio's eyes lit up with excitement to see the two hulking figures clash, the sound of metal on metal ringing through the air. It was very loud. The other Shinigami were cheering, whooping and encouraging them, and Kenpachi and Nnoitra didn't seem to be tiring. Soifon was surprised to see Captain Kyoraku sitting on the roof with a jug of sake, Ukitake sitting beside him, swinging his legs childishly and watching. Even Unohana was sitting on the other roof with Isane, who was chattering in a fast voice and scribbling down things in a notebook.

Soifon snorted and jerked her head back into the action as there was a big whoop in the crowd; Kenpachi had swung his Zanpaktou in a wide arc and Nnoitra had bent back. The sword edge almost clipped his eyepatch. "Come on, let's go," she muttered to Ggio, scrunching her face up in disgust at these men's body odour. Ggio followed her, pushing his way through the tight-knit crowd after her and voicing her thoughts in a low, irritated murmur.

"Oi!" a voice bellowed, "Stop pushing and wriggling, ya worms!" Obviously they hadn't known she was a captain, otherwise there would have never been a rough hand throwing them both out of the crowd, flinging them away and out of the crowd. It was more convenient than pushing their way through the other Shinigami, but they landed in a tangled heap into an empty corner with no one around. Soifon wondered why her fall wasn't that hard, and she realized that something, or rather _someone _was cushioning her fall.

Ggio lay under her, winded, head tilted back. Soifon dazedly thought about how easy it would be to slit his neck right there and then until she realized what their position was. He was sprawled on his back and she was lying on top of him, their legs tangled together. "Oh shit!" she swore, trying to push herself away but all that happened was that their legs got even more tangled and she almost elbowed an equally shocked Ggio in the face.

"Dammit, just..." he muttered, peeling himself away. Soifon scrambled up, Ggio gasping for breath as her fist accidentally made contact with his stomach, and they edged away from each other. Luckily no one saw, and Soifon pinched the bridge of her nose in distaste, and also to hide the dull red flush on her cheeks. Without sparing him another look, she quickly disappeared, materializing back at the barracks.


	8. Chapter 8

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Soifon shivered and wrapped her covers around herself, but not because of the cold. Because she was seeking comfort and solace after a particularly bad nightmare. She missed her siblings. They used to escape for the day outside and wander around in the sunshine without their father, or maybe when he wasn't drunk and irrationally pissed at them for nothing. They'd cherished those fleeting moments where they could just - relax. Without worrying about anything, maybe getting caught, but it was a small chance. They'd explore the mansion. And in the rainy days, they huddled together and hid.

She drifted slowly into a fitful sleep, but her dreams were far less than pleasant. She dreamed she was back in the Shihoin Crest room, Yoruichi lounging on the throne casually. Soifon was once again a little girl, dressed in her black Onmitsukidō uniform, smaller than she already was and with longer hair, reaching down to her shoulders. A small, slight girl among taller, lean-built men. They all wore masks to cover their faces, save for Yoruichi. Soifon frowned. She didn't have an audience at the moment... so why was she there? She was about to stand and ask something, but slowly, as if being possessed, Yoruichi's head swivelled her way, her eyes blank. "Soifon..." she rasped.

"W-what?" Soifon asked, bewildered. She noticed her voice was trembling, and cursed. "What is it Yoruichi-sama?"

Yoruichi stood up slowly, her usually vibrant, lively golden eyes now full and lifeless. "You think you're fulfilled?" she sneered. "You think you've achieved this much?"

Soifon swallowed. "What do you mean?" she asked. She hated her voice for sounding so small in the great hall, and for wavering and trembling.

Yoruichi just scoffed. Her voice sounded like a hundred different voices melding together like the rustling of leaves, except that leaves rustling together didn't usually sound threatening. "You?" she said mockingly. "You only lost yourself to your emotions and exploded, trying to take my titles after I abandoned you." The dream Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "It was a good thing I left you behind!" she snapped, and Soifon flinched. "I could never deal with someone like _you_!"

"Y-you don't mean... that..." Soifon trailed off. It had been a long fear of hers. This dream was recurring, but she had forgotten about that in the moment.

"Of course I do." The other guards knelt motionless and silently as Yoruichi strode up and down the room, Soifon frozen in her shock and terror. "You were the runt," Yoruichi hissed, whipping around. "Your brothers were more competent than you. It was only a matter of _luck _that you managed to join these ranks," she spread her arms, "the best of the best. Personal bodyguards, though I dunno if that's actually necessary..." For a moment, Yoruichi looked like her actual self as she tapped her chin thoughtfully, but this disappeared when she turned back around to face Soifon. "I was stuck, she spat venomously, "with _you_."

Soifon felt herself shrinking as Yoruichi advanced threateningly. _'This is just a dream'_, she told herself. _'The real Yoruichi, she-she would never say something like this!' _But she didn't completely believe it, not fully in her heart if she still was plagued by nightmares of this. She never felt that she was good enough. She'd taken all of Yoruichi's old titles, save for one: Flash Goddess. Yoruichi was 10 times the Shinigami Soifon was. Soifon would never be good enough. She'd never compare. "Y-you're wrong," she croaked, clearing her throat. "I've achieved so much des-despite what has happened to me!" she almost screamed.

Yoruichi crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she asked snidely. "Then tell them." She gestured to a cluster of dead-eyed guards. 6 of them knelt there, and with a growing sense of dread she found she recognized them, even if 95% of them were covered by black robes. The tallest and most muscular one rose, and Soifon backed away, eyes wide with fear. She recognized him, and even if she weren't in her child form, even if she had Suzumebachi with her, she would have been too frightened to even move.

Standing before her was a disembodied version of her father, eyes dead and reeking of sake and other alcoholic drinks as he advanced. "Hello, useless brat," he growled. Soifon's breath rattled in her throat and she backed away, falling to her knees. Suddenly she awoke, drenched in sweat, in her own bed. The window was half-open, a crescent moon glowing luminously in the sky. _'Just a dream,' _she told herself, slowing her rapid breathing down, _'Just a dream. That-that wasn't real.'_

Her father was long dead. So were her brothers. Her mother was dead and her grandmother was also dead. Hugging her knees to herself, she buried her face in her knees and rocked back and forth, whispering feverishly to herself, trying to comfort herself. She could feel Suzumebachi's presence there in the corner of her mind, taking up a comforting portion of her mind, trying to offer what comfort she could. Soifon's breath wavered, and once she was done she wrapped herself in her covers and lay back down, making herself as small as possible.

Morning came, and Soifon was relieved that no more nightmares when she woke up. She had a dreamless sleep. Donning her clothes, she exited the room and made her way to the office, weaving through Shinigami and ninjas alike. She maintained her usual icy demeanour, showing no sign she had a rough night, with fragmented memories of her shithole of a father and a distorted version of Yoruichi.

She was surprised that, when she arrived at the door of her office, a Riteitai messenger appeared with a message to deliver to her. "Captain Soifon!"

"What is it?" she asked.

"I have a message to deliver to you, from the Captain Commander." He handed her a scroll, sealed hastily. She nodded her thanks and the messenger disappeared. Exhaling, she entered the room and sat on the couch, crossing her legs before opening and unrolling the scroll.

_To Captains,_

_We would like to inform you there has been a number of thefts throughout the divisions' barrack, the SRDI included. If you have any serious issues, please come to inform us at Squad One. We are currently investigating this, and help is much appreciated._

_Stay alert._

_Captain Commander, Squad One_

_Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni_

_Lieutenant, Squad One_

_Sasakibe Chojiro_

Soifon puffed up her cheeks discontentedly and blew out air before rolling it back up and glancing around for somewhere to put it. She eventually settled for an empty spot next to a velvety black cat paperweight on the lowest shelf, where she could actually reach. She walked over to her desk and plopped down in her chair, rubbing her temples. Thefts, huh?

There was a small rumble from her chair and she laid a hand on it, still deep in thught. There was a small, circular hole cut through the floorboards, leading down to tiny tunnels only Yachiru could crawl through. It had indeed been Yachiru who had made them, and Soifon had agreed to make an opening from her office. She absently wondered that, if she could hunker down and crawl through, she could sneak into the Kuchiki Manor. Yachiru had made many trips in and out via tunnels and other ingenious routes. Soifon twitched, coming to a horrifying conclusion that whoever the thief might have been might have been using Yachiru's tunnels. She slowly lifted a hand to her mouth as it dawned on her that Yachiru _might _be the thief-

"Soi-chan!" Yachiru called, throwing up the lid which broke Soifon's absent-minded thinking and got her to hurry up and push the chair aside. Her head popped out of the dark, dank hole, vibrant pink hair mussed up and untidy, and her eyes lit up hopefully. "Have you seen my candy anywhere?" she asked worriedly and hopefully, small hands twisting the folds of her shihakusho.

This banished any suspicions that Soifon had, and she shook her head, relieved. "Sorry, President. I haven't seen any candy around here," she said truthfully. Omaeda might have loved eating rice crackers, but even he considered Yachiru's candy way too sweet… On that thought, the number of crumbs lying around on the floors had dwindled to almost nothing, and even though Soifon had found it pleasing, it was also extremely odd.

"Oh." Yachiru's brow furrowed. "Nana-chan is busy, so the Shinigami Women's Association meeting's gonna be a bit delayed… And Nemu is busy as well…" Her face stayed thoughtful and worried for a while longer, but eventually it was replaced by a wide grin. "Maybe I'll visit the other squads and ask what they know! Bye!" She slipped back down the tunnel, slamming the small lid-like trapdoor behind her, and Soifon dragged the chair over the hole again.

She exhaled through her nose. So there was also going to be a delay in the meetings… Not that she enjoyed them, but the other members were certainly boisterous.

-::-

Yachiru closed off the lid, hearing the dull thud of the wooden surface dropping. She could find her way around _perfectly _in the darkness. Pulling out a small flashlight from her kosode, she turned it on with a _click _and cackled gleefully for a moment or two before hurrying down the tunnels.

They had a musty, earthy smell about then that Yachiru was all-too-familiar with, but it didn't bother her. It smelled slightly like the forest she had met Ken-chan in. Her large eyes were round as she found her way around the connecting tunnels. The walls weren't all that wide, but they weren't too narrow either. The sides were crumbled, hardened dirt, and occasionally, when she travelled underneath division barracks, she could hear footsteps overhead. But it was annoying when dust rained down on her, so she made her way through them quickly, not paying any heed to them.

It was only part of the reason why she was hurrying through faster than usual.

She had to get back to her barracks, because she was going to show a friend to Byakkun's house! A small, mischievous grin spread over her face as she pondered this, rounding a corner. Brushing her hand over the bumpy, ridged surface of the sides of the tunnel, she looked around for a moment before continuing on. Sometimes there were large rats with matted fur and large, black eyes in here, feasting on the remains of candy that had fallen out of her pocket. She always liked playing with them, but a small frown crossed her face as she wondered why they always sounded so scared and ran away from her. It wasn't as if she was going to _hurt _them. She only wanted to pick them up and show Ken-chan!

She heard the usual thumps and muffled yells, and quickened her pace. She was underneath the Squad Eleven barracks, and if her ears weren't deceiving her, that must have been Ken-chan, playing with one of his friends in the courtyard! She could hear the distinct clash of metal on metal as they sparred, and yells as others were. He was probably fighting Bug-chan. Bug-chan's weapon looked cool, she thought. She should probably avoid Ken-chan and Bug-chan while trying to find her friend. Ken-chan didn't exactly disapprove of her going through the tunnels, but he didn't fully approve either. And Bug-chan was annoying sometimes, especially if Yachiru's friend was there.

She turned off her little flashlight she'd nicked from someone way before the Arrancar had arrived – she'd forgotten from whom – and felt around for the makeshift stairs she'd carved by whacking it with a brick. She'd salvaged so much equipment from when Mayu-kun was building his building project. She just forgot where she'd stored it.

She climbed up and pressed the dust-caked wood above her, feeling it rise ever so slightly. She then tentatively pushed it up, peering from underneath the floorboards. She saw one man's feet walk behind a corner, and turning around, she saw that the coast was clear. She then threw the lid upwards and rolled out, catching it before it thudded down and setting it down quietly. She felt Bug-chan and Ken-chan's Reiatsu out in the courtyard. They had not ceased fighting. It would be easier for her to avoid them anyway, Yachiru mused.

She then searched for her friend's Reiatsu, and found that she was in the courtyard as well, probably watching Ken-chan and Bug-chan fight. Yachiru huffed and ran into the courtyard on light feet, skidding and peering from behind the wall into the area. And there she was, sitting there dangling her legs and cheering for them.

Yachiru ran and barrelled into her, squealing, "NEL-CHAN!" She heard Nel give a yell as they collided, and they tumbled for a distance. Nel looked winded, but Yachiru ignored this as she pranced around her, singing, "I wanna show Nel-chan something! I wanna show Nel-chan something!"

"What?" Nel snapped irritably, adjusting her Hollow Mask. She rubbed her nose. "What ith thith plathe Yachiru wanth to show Nel?"

Yachiru giggled, her face taking on an almost menacing look as she giggled. Nel scrambled away from her, and Yachiru's laugh became more light-hearted as she grabbed Nel's wrist and yanked her up and away from her small pile of chewed-up rocks. "I'm taking you to a pretty place!" Yachiru sang, dragging Nel along with her as they ran.

"What pretty plathe?" Nel asked, her brow furrowing as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Mayu-kun's lab?" she asked, taking on Yachiru's nickname for the scientist. "I wanted to keep watching Nnoitra-thama – oops, Bug-chan - and Ken-chan fighting!" she wailed. She had quickly caught onto Yachiru's childish way of nicknaming people, although she forgot sometimes.

"It's a reeeaaally pretty place," Yachiru told her rather unhelpfully. Nel just huffed and followed her. They rushed through the barracks, Yachiru with an excited skip in her step and Nel more subdued and tentative, occasionally grumbling to herself. They made their way to the square-cut part of the floor, where Yachiru announced, "Get in here!"

"That'th not pretty at – AAALL!" Nel shrieked, falling into the tunnel as Yachiru dragged her in. "Oof!" They tumbled down the makeshift steps and into the darkness. Nel pulled herself up and dusted her ragged cloak off. "What ith thith?" she demanded angrily. "Thith plathe ith not pretty! Yachiru thaid she'd take Nel thome plathe pretty!"

"It is pretty!" Yachiru insisted, "We're just not there yet!"

Nel ignored her. "But thith tunnel ith tho… dark and… thmelly…" She wrinkled her nose. "It thmellth worthe than Bug-chan."

Yachiru just laughed. They navigated the tunnels, Yachiru waving her flashlight around, the flickering light illuminating the jagged walls. "I excavated this place," she said absently, "when I had free time. And I used it to go to Byakkun's house!"

Nel furrowed her brow. "Byakkun?"

Yachiru giggled. "Yeah! We're going to visit Byakkun's house! It is very nice. There are big, shiny fish and pretty pink flower trees!"

"Oh." Nel gasped. "It thounth nithe."

"It is."

Somewhere, in the Squad Six barracks, Kuchiki Byakuya was sitting in his office, practicing calligraphy when he sneezed. Ink splattered the piece, and slightly miffed, he went to get a new paper. He just hoped nobody saw him sneeze. Here, he was in danger of being caught doing something very… un-Byakuya. So he decided to go to his manor to practice calligraphy, lest he sneeze again.

Yachiru hurried through the tunnels, the moving of the flashlight making the lights flash. Nel was getting quiet dizzy, and she was sick of the rough dust and stone underfoot. Also this place _did _smell terrible, as she had stated earlier, and she made sure Yachiru knew it. "Thith plathe thuckth!" she complained, her lisp getting the better of what she had been trying to say.

"The what?" Yachiru asked absently. "Oh!" she exclaimed as her brain clicked into place.

"Humph. Nel'th lithp ithn't that hard to underthtand," she huffed. They continued on into the darkness for what seemed like ages to Nel. "Thith ith boring!" she cried. "Thmelly, dark, Nel'th feet hurt! At leatht Eternal Tag wath fun. But thith ith bad!" Nel crossed her arms, then hurried to keep up with Yachiru. "Dondochakka and Pesche will get worried," she muttered, followed by a, "Probably."

Yachiru shrugged, and said simply, "We're almost there." This was followed by a good huff from Nel as she batted away a spider hanging in her face. Yachiru sniffed. "I smell cherry blossoms," she said excitedly, "We are near!"

"How does Yachiru thmell thtuff from down _here_?!" Nel demanded.

Yachiru hurried over, bounding up the bumpy, makeshift stairs she had hammered through and brushed off the dusty wooden planks above her. Nel watched her with a rising air of confusion as Yachiru gave it a push, then tentatively lifted it up, eyes widening them closing it quickly, yet silently. But she returned with a wide, wicked smile on her face.

"What ith it?" she asked worriedly in hushed tones. "Anything dangerouth?"

"Nope," Yachiru answered with a vigorous shake of her head, bright pink locks bouncing and waving. "Just Byakkun. Quick, laugh!" she urged.

Nel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

Yachiru slapped a hand over her forehead. "Just laugh!" she urged. When Nel continued eyeing her suspiciously, flatly refusing to just 'laugh', Yachiru sighed and dove at her, tickling her furiously.

"Thtop! THTOP!" Nel cried, squirming and wriggling, unable to hold back bursts of childish laughter. She flailed and thrashed and nearly took off Yachiru's head, but the little, pink-haired girl was too quick for her. Eventually they tumbled back, still giggling, before Yachiru dragged Nel over to the trapdoor and lifted it slowly, stifling a snigger. Nel pushed past her, narrowing her eyes. She then slapped both hands over her mouth.

Kuchiki Byakuya stood before them. He didn't see them, as his back was to them, but he had Senbonzakura drawn and a handful of Konpeito in his other hand. He seemed to be on high alert, and was circling slowly around a point, a stiff look of concentration on his face. The childish giggling echoing through his house was unnatural. It was terrible. It belonged to Kusajishi Yachiru. He attempted to flip open the floorboard, convinced it was a trapdoor, but only succeeded in spilling some of the little candies he held. There was no trapdoor there.

It wasn't just Yachiru's laughing he heard. It was some other little terror. And that was why he brandished a handful of Konpeito to ward them off and distract them, because he knew for a _fact _that it never failed. Only when Yachiru sobered up and squished Nel's face to stop her from snickering at the sight of 'Byakkun' did Byakuya leave, calmly sheathing his Zanpaktou and hoping that no one saw him like this.

"And now we enjoy the candy, and then see the rest of his house," Yachiru whispered to Nel, who nodded in agreement.

-::-

The fiery rays of the setting sun flooded through the open window, lighting the room up in darkening orange. The clock ticked, the tail of the cat moving back and forth, the eyes glancing from one side of the room to another. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Overall it was a quiet scene, motionless save for the woman propped up on an elbow at her desk, palm jammed into her forehead.

The clock ticked and Soifon shifted, murmuring something incoherent. Many times she drifted in and out of sleep, her dreams haunted by ghosts of her past. Her waking dreams shifted from the happy memories of chasing butterflies in the garden with her brothers, to hiding in the dark from her father, trying not to whimper, to make no sound that would give them away.

Shifting from her father's fights with her brother, the resounding clap of skin hitting skin as her father raised his hand against them, to hurt them, in one of his rages. To the screams of pain and uncontrollable sobbing. Her father's advancing figure, his booming voice. _"You brats will never amount to anything." _And then that phrase, repeated louder and slurred, said by a man with his brain addled from drink, but said to six frightened children who'd never forget them, or forget the blows he dealt both mentally and physically.

Shrill screams echoed through her dreams until she woke with a jerk, her head slipping off her hand. Her breathing was rapid and unsteady, and there was a film of tears in her eyes she didn't bother to wipe away. There was no reason for anyone to visit her at this hour. Everyone would have been going back to their quarters, happy to escape a long day.

She exhaled shakily and pulled herself up, her breath still rapid and irregular. She'd go to the kitchen and get some coffee. Apparently it was good for waking people up, although she'd certainly never tried. She took a few steps, steadied herself, and strode outside into the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind her.

She passed few people on her way to the kitchens, and luckily, there was no one inside. She slipped inside, treading quietly, and began boiling water. She then paused, staring blankly at the kettle. Her reflection stared back at her from the smooth, steel exterior, defeated and forlorn. She might have been dozing off, but for a moment her reflection changed to one of her child self, quivering in her tattered clothes and trying not to cry or make a sound. Soifon staggered back, raising a hand to her mouth, and crumpled. No one was around, so she could let the tears flow freely. She hated it. She hated she'd had to be cursed with such a disgusting, half-assed excuse for a parent, one that would have killed them long ago. She hated the fact that old scars and experiences had caused her brothers' deaths, and their bodies weren't even brought back to be buried and honoured. But if the body of her father had been brought back, she would have done all sorts of things to destroy it in the most horrible manner possible. Her fists clenched and her shoulders shook, and she hunched over the counter trembling, ignoring the steam streaming out of the kettle and the violent gurgling noises of the bubbling.

She was actually wrong about there being no one around. Ggio had picked up on the gurgling noises, which was now accompanied by shrill whistling and had rushed over, curiosity perked. But he stopped just outside the door of the kitchens, staring slack-jawed. If Soifon could sense his Reiatsu, she probably chose to ignore it. In fact, she actually hadn't noticed, which was probably why Ggio was still alive at the moment. He considered going to help, but then she probably wouldn't like being caught crying, judging from her stony exterior. So he made sure she could hear him before he entered, lest she lop his head off for sneaking up on her.

"Soifon? The kettle is... you know..." he said slowly. Soifon straightened up with a jerk, scrubbing her face furiously. By the time she faced him, there was practically no evidence she'd been crying save for the redness around her eyes and nose.

"Yes... yes it is," she muttered, flinging one of her braids over her shoulder. Ggio chose this moment to drift over and stop the kettle. Somehow there was still water inside, by some miracle. Ggio exhaled, opening the cupboard and getting a box of tea leaves. Soifon didn't protest that she was actually making coffee, and he grabbed a mug and spooned some of the leaves inside, pouring water into the cup. The leaves swirled around inside, and he handed it to her. Soifon nodded, mutely accepting the cup with a shaky sigh. "You didn't see anything," she murmured, "Right?" It didn't sound like a question, more like a command.

"I didn't," Ggio automatically agreed. Soifon nodded again and walked away, muttering her thanks before she disappeared around the door. Ggio watched her go, confusion rising with every moment that passed. Why was she crying now? Earlier, he was convinced she had the emotional capabilities of a stone. But now he was convinced otherwise. "It seems that there are two sides to the coin," he murmured.


	9. Chapter 9

Pay a Visit

Ggio didn't speak of what he saw that other evening, and neither did Soifon. In fact, she acted so brisk and unbothered about anything that he was almost convinced it was a dream. But it wasn't, and that gave him a lot to think about. Why was she randomly crying in the kitchen? For no apparent reason? Hell, she wasn't the type to cry because she burnt herself or got hurt, he knew for sure. It probably had something to do with her past, he mused with a lopsided half-smile. "Well if that ain't the most fuckin' cliche thing..." he muttered to himself. It annoyed him. Not because her crying was annoying, not because he wanted to beat up the ones that had made her cry (hell no) but because it reminded him of himself.

A sour taste entered his mouth. He'd seen the haunted, forlorn look in her eyes many times when he himself had looked in the mirror back at Hueco Mundo, back when he shared a room with Findorr and Redder. They'd never known his inner problems and feelings of inferiority... His brain was still addled and he couldn't remember chunks of his Adjuchas life, even if he was a cub or created from a Plus soul's agony and torment. Hell, he couldn't even remember how the fuck he'd been born. He heard that some Arrancar had Hollow holes on the inside. There were rumours about how Halibel actually had one in her _womb, _but he'd never actually believed them. He'd never felt the presence - or absence - of anything in his body. Though it might have been his lung or something... He briefly toyed with the idea that he may be a pure born hollow, but cast the thought away. But he was also intrigued about some of his other fellow Arrancar, namely his former fellow Fracciones and Tesla and some of the others.

His mood promptly darkened when he remembered what he was thinking about in the first place. He recognised the expression on Soifon's face, now that he actually started paying attention. It was a lost, hopeless expression, much like the one he held at times when he despaired. He briefly wondered why that was, why she was wearing it, before getting to his feet and stretching his limbs.

"GGIO!" someone bellowed, and Ggio gave a shriek as he was bowled over by Redder, Findorr picking his way delicately around them with an expression of distaste on his face.

"Really, you guys," he curled his lip, "could you at least try to act civilised?"

"He... started it..." Ggio choked. Redder stood up and brushed himself off.

"Hey, Vega! There's - "

"There's an Arrancar meeting coming up soon," a new voice said mildly, and Tesla stepped nimbly from behind Findorr, wearing a placid expression. "This afternoon actually," he clarified.

Redder scowled at him. "Hey! I was gonna tell him!"

"How did you guys get the news anyway?" Ggio asked, sitting upright and heaving himself to his feet.

"We just got the news!" Di Roy piped up from behind Redder.

"Holy fuck, how many of you are there?"

"Four of us," Findorr said calmly, eyeing his fellow Arrancar with distaste.

Tesla lifted his eyepatch slightly to scratch at an itch underneath it and Findorr scowled. Redder wrinkled his nose. "Dude, that's just gross."

"Would you like me to gouge out your eye so you'd know what it feels like?" Tesla asked evenly. He raised his Zanpaktou and the others shrank away.

"Whoa, man, since when did you become so scary?" Ggio asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Hm?"

"You remind me a bit of Sung-Sun," Di Roy remarked from his elevated place on Redder's back.

Tesla appeared unfazed. "Maybe that's to be expected..." he muttered, half to himself.

Findorr squinted at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tesla shrugged. "No idea."

Redder just snorted. "Ha. You've been acting out of sorts now, like you've been a few cans short of a six-pack. Like Di Roy."

"Hey!"

"Now where did you learn that term from?"

"Carried a few messages to Squad Five, and the captain there's a real nutter." Redder scoffed. "Ha! Vizard! More like wannabe Arrancar!"

"And that's the difference between Urahara Kisuke and Aizen Sousuke."

"Come on, guys," Ggio groused, "surely you didn't come just to bicker and piss me off."

"Usually it was you pissing us off," Findorr said, eyes glinting. Ggio snorted.

"Shouldn't we be going?" Di Roy asked suddenly with an involuntary shudder. "I don't want my ass kicked by Cirucci."

"She's the one organising this? I thought one of the other Espada were going to, maybe Ulquiorra or something?"

"Frankly, they don't give a shit," Tesla said disinterestedly. "They're just going because they've got nothing better to do than to fight."

"Not like I've got anything better to do either," Ggio muttered. "So... When's it starting exactly?"

"Heh... Cirucci didn't get that far..." Redder shuffled his feet. "Should we go now?"

"Yes," Findorr agreed, "Better not be late."

"Well then." Di Roy clapped his hands and hopped off. "Let's get going, eh?"

-::-

"Order! ORDER!" Dordoni cried, banging his fist down on the table. "Come on!"

It was chaos in the Squad One hall. There were tables and chairs set out for the various Arrancar, but they were all jumbled and no one was listening. He had originally planned for clusters of Arrancar in their new squad, but that hadn't been such a good idea. As of now, there were arguments, fights and a few Arrancar were tussling around on the floor. Only a few were sitting calmly at the tables, and the ones that weren't arguing, fighting or sitting at the tables with mild expressions were cheering for their favourite to win the brawl. Even Cirucci was jeering at Nnoitra and Grimmjow, who were at each other's throats. Ulquiorra was perched on a table, swinging his legs idly.

Cirucci, finally bored with the wrestling (Grimmjow had Nnoitra pinned down but the taller Espada's hand was at his throat), walked over to Di Roy. The blonde Arrancar was booing, and she promptly stamped on his foot. He gave a loud yell, and the whole hall fell silent. All eyes were on him. Cirucci just clasped her hands together. "Well!" she said, flinging a curly pigtail over her shoulder, "Let's get this meeting started, shall we?" Her eyes narrowed. "Now get the fuck off the floor," she growled menacingly. They all obliged, while Dordoni stared, unable to process why they were listening to her and not him.

No one noticed the figure perched on a ledge in the corner, scribbling furiously in her notebook. Yoruichi flipped her violently violet hair over her shoulder, regarding the proceedings with watchful golden eyes. If anything went wrong, she could subdue them. After all, she'd taken on Yammy and overpowered him, unarmed. She listened as the Arrancar discussed their new living conditions, ready to take what she had learnt back to Kisuke. She was troubled. She was still not entirely convinced bringing them back to life was a good idea, but Kisuke seemed to think it was. So did Kurotsuchi and Szayel. Even though she didn't have any idea how they did it, she'd follow Kisuke.

"If I may speak," Tesla raised a hand, "May I ask how many of you have picked fights in the last few days?" There was murmuring and a whole lot of hands went up, including those he had never expected. He puffed his cheeks up discontentedly and exhaled. "You do know there will be charges," he said anxiously, "and - "

"Charges?" Ylfordt interrupted, "Like... bull charges?"

Tesla ignored him. "And it may be better to stop... well, smashing things, however fun it is. You'll end up living in the streets because the captains won't be able to put up with you anymore."

"Like we care," Nnoitra scoffed. Yoruichi rolled her eyes and continued writing in her notebook, and the Arrancar meeting went on, with arguing and less-than-eloquent debates. And Ulquiorra sat in his little corner, looking very sour-faced as he dodged blows between Nnoitra and Grimmjow as Cirucci, forgetting she was going to be running the meeting, cheered on.

-::-

Szayel busied himself in the Squad Twelve barracks, trying to tidy up his cluttered desk and placing various little contraptions he'd tinkered with in the shelves. His notebook was full now; full of devious ways to make Ylfordt's life hell. His elder brother still hadn't forgiven him for sending them through that hellhole, also for planting devices within his bloodstream while he fought Renji. Szayel regarded this with a faint, distant smile... as if he cared what his idiot brother thought. Half the people in the squad were dimwits, save for Kurotsuchi Nemu... There was something about that young lady... and he refused to think of Kurotsuchi Mayuri as a genius. Not after he'd frozen Szayel in time and shipped him off to Soul Society and experimented on him.

His smile darkened into a scowl as he remembered the madman... They'd invented a device with a familiar Reiatsu to it he just couldn't remember, but they'd then succeeded in resurrecting Arrancar... many of them... Dead bodies were strewn around the Fake Karakura Town, Szayel had noted, and Kurotsuchi had been awfully eager to experiment on them, only to be stopped by that insufferable Urahara Kisuke... Szayel had just noticed he was muttering angrily under his breath and silenced himself. He reached over and fidgeted with a small, round device he'd created in his spare time... Gargantas were being monitored so he'd built something that could set up an unauthorised one and could be used by Shinigami... Not that he'd wanted anyone to use it, but it was fun making something that could go unnoticed right under Kurotsuchi's nose... His scowl was once more a smile as he revelled in outwitting the maniac... He'd also studied Arrancar in his spare time and had come across more discoveries... He bet that fool hadn't. Now if Szayel could inform the higher-ups...

"Are you alright sir?" Aisslinger Wernarr stood by him, his face hidden by the long, protruding, beak-like mask he wore. There was something familiar about the deformed Arrancar Szayel didn't care enough about to remember, but he waved his hand, telling him absently that he was fine. Aisslinger scowled under his mask at the pink-haired scientist. "Well then." And he walked away, his many small, insect-like legs scuttling underneath the long cloak he wore.

Szayel picked up a small cuboid device and began fidgeting with it, opening up small protrusions, but was stopped once more by a voice cutting through his thoughts. "Granz-san?"

Szayel whirled around, dropping the cube onto the floor as he adjusted his mask; papers flew and he grinned sheepishly at Nemu. "What can I do for you, Nemu? And please, just call me Szayel."

Nemu regarded him blankly in a manner reminiscent of his own when he examined interesting specimens. It made him flush slightly, and he adjusted his glasses again. Nemu continued, her monotone voice stating, "Mayuri-sama wants to see you. Please follow me."

And she turned on her heel and walked, Szayel trailing after her while he fumbled with his glasses yet again.

They navigated the SRDI together, Szayel fiddling with something in his pocket as his mind was focused on something else entirely. He thought he ought to apologise to Nemu for... impregnating her and all that... She had some powerful poisons in her - _that_ was for sure. He was tempted to ask her about them, but they weren't exactly on the best of terms at the moment. He was jolted out of his thoughts by Kurotsuchi's raucous voice. "SZAYEL!"

"Coming!" Szayel bellowed back. Nemu seemed unfazed as she opened the door, where Kurotsuchi was standing in front of an enormous computer. The room was darkened, the only light coming from the massive screen. He was typing some essay up. Szayel sauntered in and dropped himself into the chair beside Kurotsuchi, spinning around aimlessly in it. "So... what can I do for ya?" he drawled lazily, resting a chin on a hand. Kurotsuchi flapped his arm at him.

"I might be on a breakthrough!" Kurotsuchi declared, slamming his fists down on the desk. Szayel had to physically stop himself from jumping. Nemu stood motionlessly in the corner.

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Szayel asked with barely concealed indifference.

"The Arrancar might be an actual intelligent species!" Kurotsuchi crowed triumphantly. "Completely - well, perhaps not _actually_ completely - different from Hollows!"

Szayel was idly examining the fingernails on his left hand, having taken off his glove to do so. He flapped the glove at Kurotsuchi. "No shit."

"Hmph." Kurotsuchi glowered at him, the paint on his face accentuating the deep lines of his scowl. But he continued speaking, ignoring the fact that Szayel was blatantly ignoring _him_. "And perhaps they are able to reproduce as well?" All he got in response was a grunt of confirmation from the skinny, pink-haired Espada as he swung around to kick back and rest his feet on Kurotsuchi's gleaming desk. "Get your feet off my desk."

Szayel sighed and lifted his feet off the desk, swinging round to face Kurotsuchi. He clasped his hands together, entwining his fingers and resting his chin on them, regarding Kurotsuchi interestedly. Kurotsuchi began to grow uncomfortable and his eye twitched. Szayel smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, 'fraid you're late, my friend."

"What do you mean?" Kurotsuchi snapped irritably. "I've studied and recorded by research - "

"I'm afraid that I've _beaten_ you to it," Szayel interrupted, adjusting his glasses. They flashed in the glow of the computer screen. Even Nemu stirred, the faintest show of surprise. Kurotsuchi was staring at him, slack-jawed with shock.

"B-but - that's imp-"

"Imposible?" Szayel's eyes gleamed dangerously. "I _am_ an Arrancar, my friend. I got around to studying them far before you got to me, and reached the same conclusion. And if you would now excuse me..." He launched himself off the chair, sending it spinning away. He sauntered past the staring man, over to the doorway. "Do what you must," Szayel called over his shoulder flippantly, "Inform them, take the credit, but I came to this conclusion far before you," he said with a smirk. He walked out of the doorway, and Nemu made to shut the door after him, but he stopped her. "Nemu, I must make a formal apology now..."

-::-

Back in Hueco Mundo, Barragan stirred. He sat on a makeshift throne in a cave on the outskirts of Hueco Mundo, far away from Tia Halibel. He tugged his bushy white moustache, deep in thought. He'd rounded up followers after he'd been resurrected, but so far they'd all been a bunch of half-witted dipshits, he thought spitefully. They weren't artificial Arrancar, so that was to be expected... There was a lack of a Hogyoku, and he was sometimes glad that they weren't artificial. He didn't need another reminder of that - that bastard Aizen. He also had a nice servant to give his newfound subjects a little nudge; just enough to convince them to follow him. There were enough Hollows stirring up trouble with their vendettas against Halibel's reign, and he could always force his control over them using his Reiatsu - something he'd gained from the long years of being king - like he'd done with one of his dear Fracciones.

It was gratifying, perhaps, that Halibel hadn't thought to force her subjects into submission with her royal powers, but strangely the majority of Hollows and natural Arrancar sought her rulership. That was what peeved him the most. Weren't Hollows borne of hatred and bloodlust? Maybe not, as the remnants of the Hogyoku's power still remained in this miserable land and had compelled more Hollows - Gillian and Adjuchas alike - with the occasional Vasto Lorde - to relinquish their masks for small fragments and become Arrancar. And in their newfound pseudo-humanity, they had begun following that damned female.

Many a time he had his sights fixated on her. She was strong, being a Vasto Lorde herself - and perhaps pureborn - but she had always blatantly refused and spited him, even wounding one of his subjects. She would have been a fine mate, securing the possibility of healthy younglings, but she had still refused. They had become rivals, their strengths rivalling each other, and she further infuriated Barragan with her continued refusals even when they were Espada. And despite how much he _despised_ Aizen, it was still pleasing to be higher than her in strength, just to spite her.

He had heard rumours from loyal spies he had situated in Soul Society, that the Hogyoku was still existent, and now he had a goal - to retrieve it and build an army and overthrow them all. But his plan would have to wait. He had to gather more followers, and even with some of his spies stirring up trouble in Seireitei, with their petty insults and thievery, it wasn't enough. But it was still amusing when they reported back with stories of those silly Shinigami panicking over misplaced sake bottles and supplies. He suppressed an uncharacteristic chortle as he remembered one particularly funny recollection of the reaction of one Shinigami after fish paste had been strewn around the barracks. He had no idea their fears could be so... so petty.

That reminded him - he ought to pay a visit to one of his former Fracciones he had lost contact with. With his silly little antics, Barragan was sure that he would follow him again. "LOLY!" he bellowed. "MENOLY!"

"Yessir!" the dirty-blonde Arrancar called, rushing over. Loly was more rebellious.

"What is it?" she said snappishly. "We're not your _handmaids_, old fart." Menoly elbowed her in the ribs to be quiet. Barragan agreed with the taller girl. Loly had better not disobey him _yet again._

"I want you to set up an unauthorised Garganta," he commanded, giving them a little push with his Reiatsu. It worked; he saw Loly straighten up slightly instead of her moody slouch. "I have to pay a visit to my dearest Fraccion."

**My writing may switch from American to Australian spelling, so I apologise. But I hope the edit makes the story better. Please drop a review to tell me how it is! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Smash the Wall!

Ggio felt an unnerving urge to go to the forest. He didn't know why, nor did he actually want to. Something in the back of his mind was trying to convince him to go, and he grudgingly obliged. Muttering under his breath, he followed his mind's pull, traipsing off into the forest rather grumpily. He spared a glance at Soifon as she walked past him quietly. She seemed fine, if not slightly on edge on her visit to the Shin'o Academy to check on the youngsters. And after the Arrancar meeting, they all had reason to. There was a huge fight and they'd discovered Yoruichi trying to sneak out, and fights had broken out all over the place in a huge spat between Ylfordt and Szayel long after it had ended. Luppi had gleefully joined in, aiding them both. Ggio suspected he had a lot to do with it, convincing them both to go out of hand. There were traps everywhere, set up by the brothers, and Ggio had been knocked out cold for hours when he stepped on an inconspicuous square tile - no different than all the rest - and a _urinal_ of all things flew out and hit him in the head. He could understand their rivalry - Szayel was the Espada despite Ylfordt being the elder one - but they were taking it too far.

He arrived at the edge and felt a familiar Reiatsu calling out to him, one that he didn't think he'd ever feel again. "Barragan-sama?" Suddenly he felt like his old self, weak, cowering but trying to cover it up with a bluff; a cocky, arrogant facade. He shook these thoughts away and picked his way through the towering trees, wondering why, _why_ his former master had called him here. It didn't take him long to locate the area Barragan was in, and when he did, his mouth fell open with shock.

The trees had bent down to form a cavern of sorts, only faint bars of light piercing through the veil of leaves and branches, and even under them were barriers maintained by several small, hunched figures all draped in coats. The barriers were of Reiatsu, that was for sure, imbued with Barragan's but with something disguising them from all but the ones that the _user_ wanted to sense. Ggio allowed an impressd smile to flicker over his face at the pure ingenuity of it. Barragan had found a way to imbue his own Reiatsu with that of a device to create barriers that would cloak the Reiatsu and Reiryoku of anyone inside it from everyone except for the one that the master, so to speak, of the device wanted to be able to sense it. It was probably stolen from the Squad Twelve labs and the SRDI, Ggio thought, his excitement dying down. There were thefts, after all, and it would be foolish to assume the Squad Twelve barracks and the SRDI would be spared, what with all the treasures locked up within those walls.

Ggio wet his lips as he heard Barragan commanding him to enter in an imperious voice, and he obliged, stepping in. He was then hit with the Reiatsu of Barragan and several other Arrancar, and he quickly adjusted his senses. He was pleased that Barragan had finally recognised him as worthy of his attention, but his happiness died down. "What do you want," he asked warily. Barragan chuckled in response. Ggio's eyes adjusted to the gloom, glowing luminous through the darkness. He saw Barragan seated on a throne. He peered around, seeing various other figures draped in ragged cloaks. Barragan's answer caught him off guard.

"What do I want? Your loyalty." Barragan rose and paced around Ggio's form slowly. Ggio was warily eyeing his surroundings in case he needed to escape, but Barragan either hadn't noticed or decided to ignore it. "You were always the most loyal of my Fraccion, maybe to a fault." He paused. "Perhaps we could put that to better use now, hm?" He sat back down on the throne after making a full circle around him and clasped his hands together. "I could give you the ultimate position in an army I have yet to acquire, after I visit your lousy fellow Fracciones."

Ggio was sorely tempted to agree with Barragan. After all, it was the life he'd always dreamed of back then. To be accepted and recognized. To fight alongside his master as an equal. He wet his lips and opened his mouth to accept, but then he was pulled back down to earth. Shaking his head hurriedly, as if to clear his mind, he narrowed his eyes at Barragan. "I guess there are terms and conditions. I know it."

Barragan drummed his fingers on the throne. There was a long silence. Then he spoke. "The queen of Las Noches and Hueco Mundo… Our dear Tia Halibel," and he curled his lip, "has been trying to actually _humanize _the hollows of Hueco Mundo." He spread his arms. "The witch has been poisoning their minds and forcing them to go along with her evil schemes!" Barragan turned back to Ggio. "That is why I must destroy her reign," he breathed, "and regain my kingdom!"

"Uh-huh…" Ggio rubbed his eyes. "How, exactly?"

"I already informed you. I am amassing a great army to overthrow her and that bumbling fool Coyote Starrk, as well as try to recruit their lackeys. Of course they will agree. I have already convinced several fellow Arrancar to join my cause, because they are tired of that foolish queen and her silly antics."

"So you're amassing an army…" Ggio clicked his fingers. "You know… Once you destroy Halibel's reign, you _do _know that the Gotei 13 will be out for your blood? I mean," he scratched his head, "they _did _have a truce and a document signed… If you attack one, the other will avenge them and kill you." He mimed something blowing up, but it just looked like he was throwing imaginary confetti, which prompted Barragan to raise a bushy white eyebrow.

"That I know," he rumbled. "I am planning to raise an army so big it will crush both of them. I will leave Soul Society to crumble and lay in ruins, but I _will _reclaim my place as king of Hueco Mundo! That foolish queen Halibel is a traitor to her own kind to be fraternizing with those cursed Shinigami." The Reiatsu barrier wavered and he cast an annoyed look at it, but then his gaze flicked back to Ggio. "So what do you say? Will you join me? Or will I leave you to die along with the other traitors?"

Ggio hesitated. He liked his new life. It was satisfying somewhat, and the living conditions were a huge improvement. He didn't have to deal with Redder's snoring and his and Findorr's constant bickering where one heckled the other and a huge fight started up that often lasted for days. If he rejoined Barragan, he _might _have had to deal with it. But Barragan had also trained him up, even though Ggio couldn't remember much of it. So he said, quite bluntly, "Hell if I know."

Barragan's face darkened. "Decide. I can't have you squealing about this when you run back to your precious Shinigami like a trained dog – sorry, cat – so I have to have your decision. _Now_." And Ggio felt as if he was being strangled and choked, his mind being squeezed like a soaked rag someone was trying to dry. A leftover remnant of Barragan's time as an Espada. He could do this to any lowly Arrancar, artificial or not, and the rest of the Espada could as well. Ggio growled and hunched over in pain.

Heh, Ggio thought to himself dryly, a lone, sharp thought piercing through his consciousness which was being fogged by pain and agony. This was destroying any chances Barragan had of recruiting him, the brainless bastard. Truly a fucked up world. He let out a yell as something hard collided with his side and he was knocked away, skidding across the sparse grass, coming to rest against the buttress roots of a large tree. His head hit the surface and stars appeared in his vision. His entire existence became a world of pain.

"Submit…" Barragan said, almost lovingly. But his voice was cold. "You will serve me with at least _half _the loyalty you had in those days. It was so easy to manipulate you, especially if it was with force. Even after it all, you chose to stay with me." The grip around Ggio's mind tightened, and Ggio curled himself up into a ball.

"I… accept…" Ggio gasped, clutching at his head. Almost immediately the pain stopped, only for him to hear a crack and black out. When he came to, he couldn't remember anything. _What the fuck…_

"So you accept, huh?" Barragan stood a short distance away, surveying him.

"Well…" Ggio didn't know why but he felt compelled to. "I guess." He shifted his position. '_Would someone tell me why I feel like absolute shit?' _he wanted to scream.

Barragan waved his hand. "I'll assist you with your… task." He walked back over to his throne and sat back down. He clapped his hands. "I have spies situated around Seireitei. Not hiding – they're posing as," he scowled, "reformed criminals. They're bringing me information by worming their way in with their higher-ups and I want you to do the same."

Ggio nodded slowly. _Again, what the fuck?_

Barragan gestured at him with a bone. "Get in close with Captain Soifon, th-that…" He rubbed his temples. "I have some unresolved conflicts with her that started thirteen years ago as I have been informed and it would be good if you could spite her with the fact you were a spy and break her in the process." Barragan put on a gruesome imitation of a grin (it looked more like a grimace) and Ggio winced. Barragan seemed to think that was a matching smile.

"So… All I have to do is get information?" Ggio asked slowly.

"Yes and I will be sending an old comrade to help." Ggio watched as Barragan snapped his fingers. "POWW!" he bellowed. "Track down the woman and smash as many things as possible in the area that she is in!" Ggio felt his old fellow Fraccion's Reiatsu flare and then disappear.

"What?"

"Oh don't worry." Barragan waved a hand at him. "Pose the valiant hero. Whatever. Now go!"

Ggio wanted to protest that _that_ wouldn't work on her. In fact, no one was getting anywhere with her, and he didn't even _want _to. He wondered if someone had brought Barragan some of those… what did they call them… Cliché teen fiction from the human world because this… He would have done just that if he hadn't realized that she was visiting the Shin'o Academy. "Wait! She's at the Shinigami school with the cubs! Students, however you call them. You're putting them at risk!" he cried.

Barragan tugged on his moustache. "So? Already putting up the heroic act?" He flapped his hands at Ggio. "_Shoo_." Ggio needed no prompting, launching into Sonido with crackles and buzzes as he tracked Poww's Reiatsu. Hollows may have been vicious and wild, but even they cared for younglings. Pureborn Hollows were somewhat less vicious and wild, but Hollows that had spawned from the suffering of humans were still… Ah, Ggio wouldn't know. Poww must have been out of his mind too.

After he had left, Barragan turned to a figure in the shadows, who had started laughing. If something was so _hilarious_. "What?" he snapped.

"Ah, I don't know." Aaroniero Arruerie stepped out from the shadows, swinging a dagger around in a bored fashion. "It just seems so…" He seemed to deflate. "Usual… I hold the memories of so many beings, thousands in fact. And I happen to know that… Well, this is the type of stuff that happens in petty human books and lives," he said, echoing Ggio's thoughts.

"So?"

"We didn't know you were so brutal with him," Niero, the lower head squeaked in his high, squeaky voice. Aaro surfaced. "Seriously, you have to resort to using brute force on the poor cat?"

"Shut up!" Barragan snarled, although he felt rather cowed at this. "You got a better plan?"

"No, not exactly." Aaroniero heaved a sigh, two heads sighing in unison; bubbles rose to the top of the tank and dissipated. "Wasn't there someone around before me?" Aaroniero made a show of looking left and right, Aaro looking left while Niero looked right and then switching sides. Barragan snorted.

"He doesn't like revealing his powers longer than necessary," Barragan huffed, "and he left before you arrived. You might know him."

"Oh?" Both Aaro and Niero tilted their heads opposite directions.

"Yes." Barragan smirked. "You used to work alongside Dordoni, Cirucci and Gantenbainne before they were demoted?"

"Yes," Aaro rumbled slowly. "I was spared the shame of going to the Privaron Espada by my glorious ability to absorb other Hollows. But enough of that." Aaroniero's two sets of eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me he was a part of the Privaron Espada before they were demoted?"

"Yes."

"Hm." Aaroniero leaned back and contemplated which one of his old comrades he had just missed while Barragan rattled on about the mysterious other.

"He helped me… convince Ggio with a little push of the mind, yes? Also Poww." Barragan regarded Aaroniero, who had switched to Shiba Kaien's form in the darkness. "You remember? There was also a lady who helped disguise Poww."

"Somewhat," was the reply, Aaroniero closing Kaien's eyes. He had a very good idea of who it was.

-::-

While they were talking, Ggio had rushed to the Shin'o Academy with Sonido. The air crackled sharply and buzzed, but he had no time to grouse about the fact it was so loud, as opposed to the Shunpo that Shinigami used. He arrived to find Poww in his Resurreccion demolishing buildings. His former comrade was shrouded in what seemed to be Hollow Reiatsu. He couldn't recognize it, but it made Poww's appearance flicker and waver, taking on many different forms, but still a massive behemoth. Ggio only knew it was Poww because he recognized Poww's Reiatsu signature, however faint it was.

It turned out he'd just started. Giving a loud, animalistic roar, he rammed his fist through the side of a white brick building, sending rubble raining down. Soifon was underneath, trying to get the students to safety. She still had the mask of pure indifference on her face, but occasionally it shifted to one of mild panic as a student was endangered and she darted to drag them over to safety. There was a wall of rubble the students couldn't climb over, surrounding them. Soifon was helping them up, simultaneousy pushing other petrified students out of the way of chunks of stone Poww was launching down at them.

A small girl swaddled in a uniform several sizes too big for her tripped and fell to the ground. She turned to see Poww and her breath quickened as a chunk of stone came crashing down on her but Ggio darted over, kicking the white stone aside. His Hierro helped protect him, and he grabbed the girl by the scruff of her kosode and dropped her unceremoniously with the rest of the students huddled in a fearful crowd. He darted back to Soifon, who snarked, "Never knew you to be the type to actually help out and take action."

"Very funny." He helped a tall, lanky boy up when he'd tripped on some rubble and turned to watch Soifon as she all but screamed the command for a Kido spell.

"Hadou thirty-one! Shakkahou!" A large ball of crimson energy formed in her outstretched palms and blasted their way through more rock being hurled down on them by Poww's meaty hands as he smashed through other buildings, grabbing handfuls of crumbled bricks, stone and debris.

"You get the cubs to safety; I'm not sure how they'll fare with a scary Arrancar rescuing them," he muttered with a strained smile. "I'll take him on." She muttered something about her being the ones to give orders, not take them, but he ignored her and leaped at Poww. "Man, what the fuck?"

"I don't like harming younglings any more than you do, even if they are dastardly Shinigami hell spawn but it was Barragan's orders," Poww hissed, swinging his fists at Ggio but aiming them poorly so that Ggio avoided being hit.

"Fuck Barragan's order if this is what he's ordering us to do!" Ggio swerved another half-hearted swing. "Why?"

"I…" Poww faltered. "I don't know. I just felt I had to, even if my gut told me otherwise. Anyway, now that you're here…" Poww glanced down at Ggio, who made flapping motions. "Alright I'll go now but do your task properly and obey Barragan-sama's orders!" Ggio glared at him. Poww seemed to be… a little different. Having all these changes of heart. Ggio snorted and headed down, where Soifon had gotten most of the students to safety.

Ggio landed in a crouch beside her in the smoking rubble and debris. The instructors were ushering the students to safety. Soifon was more than powerful enough to take on Poww, but doing so would have left the students alone in the range of the crashing building, and besides they didn't have the agility of qualified Shinigami. Loose rocks were hard to climb over without toppling over and being crushed.

Having gotten the students to safety – most of them were quivering in their hakama and a few were crying, being small first-years – she strode over to a tall bald man. "Onabara-san!" she said. "Round them up and get them to safety. We'll chase down that Arrancar." Onabara Gengero, the instructor, nodded and called out to the students.

Meanwhile, Poww was lumbering back towards Barragan's base when a whispering voice sounded in his head. _"Deal the final bow…" _Poww fought but he felt compelled to go back. Just as Soifon and a reluctant Ggio made their way to a different region, away from Onabara and the students, he jumped over. He caught Ggio's eye, gazing down balefully before swinging his fist into the empty building – at least what his Pesquisa told him – and it all came raining down. Ggio was staring at Poww with a look of shock on his face and Soifon, thinking fast, mentally cursed and executed a clean roundhouse kick, aiming it lower and launching Ggio away just as the building came crashing down.

* * *

**Yes, Onabara is real. I did research on Bleach Wiki for this story for real canon facts. Nitpicky maybe but it was fun learning somewhat useless facts about Seireitei. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

And it all came crashing down

Ggio muttered to himself as he dug around in the debris until he heard a groan and darted over, narrowly avoiding being nailed in the face by a large chunk of wall. Soifon had used her good arm to push it off her and was currently trying to heave herself up on her left arm, her right one broken and hanging at an odd angle. Her right ankle was also twisted at a wrong ankle, but she defiantly ignored Ggio. He snorted as she picked herself up, winced slightly and wobbled, and as she began to fall he caught her and hoisted her up into his arms. "Unhelpful, am I?" he smirked, skirting around the larger pieces of rubble.

"Shut up," she murmured disgruntledly as he hopped from stone to stone, trying not to jolt her too much. She was in no condition for Shunpo, let alone even standing or walking. He launched into Sonido, rushing through the air to arrive back at Seireitei. He hurried through the crowds, a reluctant but resigned Soifon cradled bridal-style in his arms. They got many snickers from the passing Shinigami while others shot disapproving looks at the mocking ones.

She gave directions to the Squad Four barracks, then to the Sogo Kugo Tsumesho (the coordinated relief station) where she was faced with an apprehensive Iemura Yasochika. She explained the whole story, haltingly at first but then her voice growing stronger, aided by Ggio. Iemura nodded and confirmed he would take this up with Captain Unohana. He then proceeded to call for Hanataro. "Seventh Seat! Yamada!"

"Yes!" Hanataro scurried into view and promptly tripped over his own feet, causing a dozing-off Soifon to jerk awake. "Oof! What is it? Oh…" His expression quickly turned to one of concern as he registered the Squad Two captain in a rather vulnerable state being carried like a princess in the arms of an Arrancar. He nodded gravely and Ggio relinquished Soifon to a stretcher that an anxious-looking nurse wheeled over.

Later, Ggio waited patiently in the waiting room of the Sogo Kugo Tsumesho for the healer to fix the worst of her wounds. He almost dozed off, but woke when she hobbled into the room on crutches, her right arm in a cast and her left ankle as well. "She'll have to have these casts for a while, but moving around is going to be hard for her," Hanataro told him. "We just fixed it up considerably better than those human doctors would."

Ggio followed Soifon outside, walking beside her as she made her way unsteadily around. "It's going to be a long way to the barracks," he warned her. He just got the muttered reply of 'Still got work to do'. Snorting, he scooped her up again and carried her with ease back to the barracks, Soifon torn between killing him in the most painful manner possible or waiting until she'd healed _before _killing him, or mutilating him at the very least. She made the trip more bearable by fantasizing ways to cause his death.

"Captain!" Omaeda met them at the door. "What happened!" His eyes narrowed at Ggio, who airily kicked open the doors, Omaeda jumping out of the way, and proceeded to saunter in. "What have you done to the captain…"

"Nothing," he replied dismissively. And so Soifon had to relay the story to him all over again, although Omaeda remained vigilant, following them closely to make sure Ggio didn't have any hidden motives of murdering her while in her state, even if the chances of that happening were extremely low.

-::-

Szayel's formal apology had succeeded somewhat to the young woman. It had brought the barest trace of a smile to her pretty features, and she had at last stopped calling him Granz-san, instead calling him Szayel-san. He decided it was a stretch, although he still insisted she just do away with the silly honorifics and just call him Szayel.

And now he was seated at his desk, idly swirling a test tube half-filled with translucent pink liquid, absently watching the contents spin around inside the glass. He had reached a conclusion after having that little heart-to-heart with Nemu.

He was disgusted with the way Kurotsuchi treated her, like something less than a living being, just like a specimen or an object. His features turned into a frown. His Gabriel technique had embedded himself within her. For moments, they had shared the same consciousness, the same state of mind... Hers.

Before he had done so, he had shared the same view as Kurotsuchi himself - that others were lesser beings that were only specimens. Objects that could be experimented on. Things that were below him, and therefore didn't have feelings. A small smirk lifted his lips as he rested his head on a closed fist, propped up on an elbow and still slowly swirling the contents of the test tube around... and around... the slow, calming motion of the vibrant liquid hypnotising him and lulling him into a daze...

His views had changed once he'd shared a consciousness with Nemu. He'd found out what it had been like to feel compassion and have feelings. He'd gotten a feeling of what it was like to be a subordinate of someone who barely cared. And although Nemu had obliged, obediently going about Kurotsuchi's orders, it had sickened Szayel. And as Szayel died, over the course of what felt like a million years, he had gotten to explore his newfound sentimental feelings he had discovered while sharing a mind with Nemu.

And, in his dying moments, he had decided that he would no longer treat others as mere objects. He owed it to Nemu, his new state of mind, after experiencing firsthand what it was like. And, now that he had a chance to live again, he would fulfil his vow. To make it up to Nemu for doing her wrong and invading her space, and to oppose that monster Kurotsuchi. It had been his dying desire... And now he lived again, he wished to accomplish it.

He frowned. He'd also lost quite a few inventions he'd tinkered with. He'dmanaged to create a Reiatsu barrier disguise. The user would imbue the barrier with their own Reiatsu, and they could control who could sense it and who couldn't. It had probably been stolen by dimwits who couldn't even operate a computer, so it wasn't much of a worry.

He abruptly stopped swirling the test tube, and the pink liquid, the shade reminiscent of his own hair, swung around for a few moments afterward. He watched it and sluggishly lifted himself up and out of his vague daze. Quiet footsteps sounded outside, and he turned to see Nemu.

-::-

As the days dragged on, Soifon slowly healed and progressed, her recovery being aided by the healers of Squad Four. She was able to navigate and walk on her own without teetering precariously before falling and being caught by Ggio, something she hated to admit. Even though she could almost walk properly, albeit with crutches and also slightly unsteadily, it would be a while until she could move well enough to use Shunpo. Again and again she cursed the damned Arrancar that had just suddenly attacked the Shin'o Academy right out of the blue and put all those young lives in danger.

Soifon heaved herself unsteadily out of her chair, balancing on her crutches before making her way to the door. Infuriatingly, it was then opened - and held open - by Ggio. His thick, braided ponytail hung over his shoulder as he waited patiently for her to make her way through the doorway. Those rumours about the Squad Two barracks having automatic doors? Lies. Even so, she turned her head around, refusing to acknowledge him. He might have been chivalrous and genuine, but that didn't mean she had to _like_ it, did she?

Even more irritating was his constant presence, always ready to assist her. She'd had to go to a lot of meetings since the incident, discussing the repairs and what would happen to the students, and he's carried her to them much to her embarrassment. But as the days passed, she'd begun to find comfort in the way that he actually cared enough to help her. She'd begun to find it endearing how he followed her around like a puppy - pardon, kitten - but she'd quickly relinquished those thoughts. She had no time for those. He was just another oddity; a subordinate with odd backgrounds.

Ggio himself found her rather interesting. He was going to try and obey Barragan's wishes, however reluctant he was. Reluctant? Something in his mind tugged at him to revisit the forest again and he scowled inwardly. Again? Barragan was calling him so soon? Another opportunity to try and back out of this. He did feel slightly indebted to Soifon for pushing him out of the way when the wall fell, but he didn't want to get all close and cuddly with her, and he was pretty sure she felt the same way.

He mumbled something under his breath and hit himself on the head as the tug on his mind increased and he walked out of the office, leaving her to her own devices. Soifon privately felt grateful that she didn't have to rely on him as of now. It had been unpleasant relying on a _male_, and even more unpleasant to have the watchful eyes of others on her, not to mention Omaeda's close, suspicious gaze.

Ggio exited Seireitei stealthily, sneaking past the giant gatekeepers with ease and then proceeded to track down Barragan's Reiatsu. Once again, he was visiting his so-called master in the middle of the day, but he knew that inside the small tree-cave, it would be extremely dark, not to mention with Barragan's altered Reiatsu barrier.

He leapt through the forest, hopping off roots and swinging from branches, landing in a crouch at the well-disguised entrance to the small clearing. He saw the faint red sheen of Barragan's Reiatsu in the barrier and took a breath, stepping through with a shiver. He looked around warily, and Barragan spoke up.

"You doubt me?"

Ggio wet his lip. "No… Not exactly… Though I'm still confused as to why you…" He just made a confused flapping motion with his hands for lack of a good way to describe it. _'Why you're fucking everything up' _was not a good thing to say to an uber-powerful Espada.

Barragan curled his lip, his scarred face contorting into a snarl. "You made an agreement!"

"I know but – "

"Submit!" Barragan bellowed, attacking him with Reiatsu once more. "I raised you!"

Really? Ggio found it hard to recall but as Barragan's overwhelming Reiatsu attacked him, for a brief moment the cloud over his memory lifted. He remembered himself as a mewling cub, nosing into his mother's fur, trying to find the milk-scent. He revelled in the happiness, and then it all came crashing down. Explosions. Her charred and blackened body, rotting away. Her flesh rotting away into ashes around the Hollow hole in her chest. And then the looming figure picked him up. There was no hole on the little cub.

Ggio let out a screech as Barragan sifted through the at long last unclouded areas of his memory, probing through with his Reiatsu spike, going through Ggio's very essence. This was just like how Neliel suffered long-term amnesia when her Reiatsu leaked out through her head along with her memories, although her mask broke and she was forced to live as a mewling brat, Barragan thought.

Ggio remembered being whisked away and trained, but always feeling insignificant next to his fellow Adjuchas. But at least he had a family. Did he? His training was rough and often he ended up badly injured. But he was one of the elite, he thought with pride. But it changed later on, when Barragan began having his rages.

The Halibel woman. The Vasto Lorde. She refused to join him, and Barragan was furious that she always defied him, and he had taken it out on Ggio, lashing out and beating him, even though it hadn't been his fault. All this and more rushed through Ggio's head as he hunched over in pain, clutching his head. Sharp stabbing pains rushed through his mind as he remembered what Barragan had made him forget.

He remembered Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname, sauntering into Barragan's throne room as if they owned the place. Ggio and his fellow elites had rushed at them, only to be swiftly cut down. They then lay bleeding into the bone-white sands and Aizen had offered Barragan power, only to thwart him and steal his kingdom. Spiting him even further, he hadn't made Barragan the Primera. No. He'd made Barragan the Segunda, the second.

They'd been made into somewhat human forms – Arrancar. They often went hunting and Ggio, brain addled by Barragan, had a fanatic loyalty to Barragan. And always strived to be the best. This usually resulted in mistakes and accidents, and beatings and harsh punishments. And then Barragan had always made him forget so that he would continue following him with the same amount of loyalty and devotion, if not more.

Ggio had happened upon Barragan in one of his moods after arguing with Aizen or another Espada, he didn't know. Barragan had hurled him against the wall, placing a cracked dent in the wall and breaking more than one bone. Ggio's hand flew up to a ragged, silvery scar on his left shoulder, hidden under his uniform but still existent. He'd dragged himself away, and it was fortunate that Szayel-Aporro Granz had been there on a walk.

Szayel had patched him up. Luckily he hadn't made any gruesome adjustments to Ggio, but an Espada who tampered with another's Fraccion was looked down upon, and Szayel wasn't all that keen to have Barragan at his throat. Barragan had caught him again and forced him to forget.

The scars he had were from Barragan, but strangely enough Barragan always made to keep Ggio close, so that he wouldn't run away and blab about the abuse Barragan had put him through.

"You!" Ggio cried out in anguish, leaping at his former master with this newfound knowledge, Tigre Estoque outstretched. But Barragan had only grabbed his wrist, shattering it, and launched him at the tree. He curled up defensively, glaring daggers at Barragan. But his mind was attacked once again, Barragan crushing any bad memories as Ggio fell unconscious. He didn't need to break Ggio's mask to steal his memories. The runt had nowhere near the same amount of Reiatsu Neliel had. Hell, even Nnoitra needed Szayel's help to do that, but it was easy manipulating a mere Fraccion.

"Fuck… What happened?" Ggio sat up abruptly rubbing his head. "Why does my head hurt?"

"You must have had a headache," Barragan said stonily. "Go home now."

"Sheesh alright."

After Ggio left, Barragan sat and mused to himself. Ggio was an odd one that reminded Barragan… of himself. Few Hollows knew about their past lives. Barragan was a poor urchin on the streets in ancient times in Portugal. He'd sneaked onto a ship pioneered by Fernão Mendes Pinto on his second trip in 1549. A bullied street urchin who'd always longed for a family and enough money to support himself instead of starving.

He'd exited the ship along with the other men and stayed in Japan, eventually dying. But his restless spirit had wandered for a time before regressing into a Hollow and being killed by the old Shinigami. He'd become a Menos, and eventually became a mighty conqueror, gaining riches and the title of 'king' as opposed to his previous life of being a dirty little street urchin. He remembered his past life, and that was enough to make a Hollow royalty, he'd quickly learnt when he'd been crowned in a hurry. He wondered if Tia Halibel could remember her previous life, as he knew now she wasn't whole. Not pureborn.

He still had a hole in his chest, where his heart ought to have been. He'd wanted to support himself, but couldn't, and now he had more than enough. He wanted to surround himself with pureborn, whole Hollows, why his six Fraccion were all whole. One had caught his eye. Ggio.

Ggio made him so angry because he reminded him of himself, except Ggio had a family. Barragan hated the small catlike Adjuchas, and hated him even more when he'd taken on an appearance oh-so-similar to the one Barragan previously possessed as an orphaned human boy, living off scraps.

He hated it, yet he didn't want to let the moving photograph go, a remnant of his life in Portugal, somehow sneaking aboard the ship and sailing to Japan, eventually dying at the hands of a Samurai who needed someone to test their strength out on and scare the peasants. He was odd-looking for a Japanese boy, and spoke a foreign language. The Japanese didn't know how to speak Spanish.

He'd wanted to live longer, and now, Barragan had fulfilled all his former incarnation's wishes. He was jealous of those without Hollow holes. He'd pursued Tia Halibel for so long because he'd thought she was whole, but it turned out she wasn't, as some of his subordinates had reported. Now he walked carefully, although his Fraccion were definitely pureborn.

Remembering all this, Barragan crushed a skull he'd been gripping on the arms of his makeshift throne. He knew that it didn't justify all the pain he put Ggio through, but what did Barragan care? He was bitter. He exhaled. He'd ruled Hueco Mundo since the 16th century, long after he'd been crowned. Up until the point where the bastard Aizen had robbed him of his throne.

He was going to get his throne back. He was worthy.

* * *

**I did do a lot of research for this chapter, especially concerning Barragan's past. ****Fernão Mendes Pinto did exist, and he brought a Japanese man back with him to Portugal. I figured Barragan would have European whereabouts, because of that crown. Welp, hope you enjoyed reading this messy chapter. Please leave a review to tell me what you thought about Barragan! (he's still a jerk in this story though :U)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry if this seems a little vague or rushed or anything; I wrote it up at 3:00AM when I couldn't sleep. Needless to say writing on a brain fuelled by caffeine and lack of sleep can't lead to anything good... I've made a sort of deadline for myself, to finish rewriting this story in the course of a month. I started after I last updated the revolting thing. But on the other hand I've made a list of wordy words I come across or just happen to recall, and I've been toying with language. Wordy words. Vociferous is a favourite word of mine at the moment, that and the words dulcet, illicit and waffle, which I know isn't the most intriguing word but I like it nonetheless.**

Robots and Riot

The cloudy numbness in Ggio's mind faded away over time only to be replaced by irritation at his memory loss. He'd healed himself up with a pointless use of his Resurreccion then returned to the barracks looking as good as new. So was Soifon. Over the course of several days, it had then set to a point where it was easy for Squad Four to heal her. She had been a little stiff for a while after sudden healing but now she was alright.

She didn't have to rely on him anymore, since he had just resignedly picked her up and carried her around to wherever she needed to go, claiming that it was irritating watch her have to wobble around like a two-legged mutt. She'd taken great offense in that comment but didn't show it, although she had grumbled more than once about having to rely on a male of whatever species. When she'd asked for a proper answer, he'd just shrugged and said that he owed her for kicking him out of the way of the falling building. She couldn't answer that.

Even when she could walk steadily, although still with crutches, he had followed her around, and in turn they were followed by an overly-suspicious Omaeda. It had been extremely annoying, having the two follow her around – not as discreetly as they had thought with their constant arguing – but she had held her head high and survived it.

Ggio was currently helping her move files. At first she had protested against it, almost as suspicious as Omaeda of his sudden good intentions, but he had assisted her anyway and she had no choice but to acquiesce. Suddenly she got a message on her Soul Pager. Snorting and hoping it was important she pulled it out of her kosode and flipped it open. So Ggio's Gigai was ready.

"Ggio," she said, appearing behind him quietly. He resisted the urge to scream.

"Holy shit, lady, could you not?" he said in over-exaggerated anger and shock.

"Not what? I just moved over," she responded, crossing her arms.

"You know what I mean. Ever heard of footsteps?" he bantered.

Soifon scoffed. "I have. I didn't become the captain of this squad by being as loud as an elephant – or perhaps you – when I walk."

"Ha-_ha_."

"Anyway, your Gigai is ready."

He shelved a book. "Oh really? Where'd I go to get it?"

"Squad Twelve," she replied. "Now come." She strode out of the room, still quietly Ggio noted with slight annoyance, and so he placed the files on the shelf and hurried after her. He followed her to the SRDI, where Szayel was waiting for them. He stood at the huge doors.

Szayel greeted them with a trademark creepy grin. "How can I help you two?"

"Apparently my Gigai is ready?" Ggio asked, looking around.

"Of course. Follow me!" Szayel sauntered back in and they followed him. "We had to take your measurements after we had you resurrected, you see? While you were…" he paused, "dead. And then we retrieved the files and made Gigais later after we remembered!" He grinned as he disappeared into a room. "Be right back!"

Ggio looked disgusted for a moment, but Szayel returned with Nemu, who was carrying a grey body over her shoulder. The body looked like a plastic mannequin she often saw in Human World stores, Soifon noted, devoid of any features but otherwise Ggio's exact size. "Here you go," Nemu murmured in her usual monotone voice. She packed it in what looked to be a body back and handed it over to Ggio, who took it with muttered thanks. He was slightly unnerved by Nemu's blank gaze.

They turned to leave, but Szayel suddenly dug his hands into his pockets. "Wait! I almost forgot." He retrieved what looked like a pink Pez dispenser with a little cartoonish skull at the top. "Zugai-chan!" he said proudly, "Courtesy of the Shinigami Women's Association, who decided this design! Well actually Nemu and Yachiru, when Nanao was away," he shrugged. "I presume you are a member?" he asked, gesturing with the thing to Soifon. "Well. It was sort of, ah, a private 'project'," he said, making quotation marks with his fingers. "That beig said it was mainly Yachiru who decided on the design and she told Nemu to tell me about the design, then we worked it out together." He shrugged. "Well this collection of Soul Pills is compatible for Arrancar only, like how the previous Soul Pills – Soul Candies, whatever – were compatible for Shinigami only and would make the Arrancar _die _in a gruesome manner should the Arrancar consume it." He handed the little Pez container to Ggio and then clapped his hands together. "Well I'd better cease rambling on and on and let you two go, eh? Goodbye!" And the doors slammed shut as they promptly left.

"You said you wanted to speak to me?" Nemu inquired in a flat tone.

"Well, yes," Szayel admitted. "Come." He took her wrist and led her into a private, secluded area, namely Kurotsuchi's office. His own desk was with the other division members and, well, that was a pretty public area. Once they entered, Szayel shut the doors quietly and turned to Nemu.

He interlaced Nemu's fingers within his but that did nothing to illicit a response from her other than the faint pinkening of her cheeks as she gazed blankly at their hands. "Nemu, I should tell you something," Szayel began gently. He took her other hand and made her look up at him.

"Are you satisfied with the way your... father treats you?" Szayel asked. He got an enquiring look in response. "It may be awfully rude of me, but I... I don't think he is giving you the freedom you deserve, dear Nemu. You hardly ever show emotion, or even move in his presence. Your movements are stiff and empty, and it's almost as if you're scared of him. If I may..." Szayel looked very earnestly at her. "I've heard the threats he makes against you and I hardly know if he's joking or not."

"Why are you asking me this, Szayel-sama?" Nemu asked, the faintest note of surprise colouring her usually bland tone. She had taken to calling him Szayel-sama instead of Szayel-san and Granz-san after he had shown her more kindness, despite his protests. And when he had asked, she had only smiled slightly. "I know you may be... worried, but it's alright. Nothing is out of place."

Szayel wet his lip. "Nemu, I-I have realised... after - well... - doing that to you, we shared a consciousness - yours." Nemu's eyes widened by a millimetre but she was otherwise unresponsive. "I have been acting out of sorts and different to what an Arrancar would usually act, with their Hollow tendencies." He hesitated. "Hollows are not known for their feelings," he said quietly. "But after sharing a consciousness with you - be it even a short while - I have come to know compassion and empathy." He reached up a hand to touch her face. "Feelings," he spoke, and she lifted her own hand to his. "Nemu, you are more than just a-an emotionless doll. You deserve better than how your so-called father treats you."

They stood in silence for a few more moments, and then Nemu finally spoke. "Mayuri-sama built me," she said gently. "He granted me life, and for that I am eternally in his debt. I have to serve him... It is... my nature." Deep green met spark yellow as she glanced into the scientist's eyes. "Szayel-sama, you are a brilliant worker, and I respect that... But I sense there is something else?"

Szayel paused. "Yes."

"What would that be?"

Szayel took a breath. "Nemu, you are a-a work of art. But not just his. You are a masterpiece not only in your beautiful appearance, but nature as well. Intelligent, passionate..." He tucked a strand of raven hair behind her ear. "And loyal. But that's wasted on him. He treats you as no more than an object, hell not even a living thing! You deserve so much more." He hesitated, his other hand squeezing hers. "May I ask you to stop calling me Szayel-sama? I would deign to be your equal, lover maybe, but that honorific is insinuating that I am your owner. You are owned by no one. You are a living being with your own rights, and no one has the right to just treat you the way he does, which is to say, absolutely horribly."

Nemu put a finger to his lips. "You would care for me that much?" she asked uncertainly. "Is this the truth?" He nodded, his heart hammering in his chest. He had treated her gently, opposite of Kurotsuchi's harsh words and threats. Szayel had given her space and never pushed her. He was also kind to her. "I cannot leave Mayuri-sama, as my loyalty would always be his, but... My heart could be yours - "

"And that would be the greatest treasure of all," Szayel murmured, interrupting her. Her eyes shone, maybe with tears, and they slowly drifted closer. Szayel brushed several wispy strands of hair out of her face. Their lips met, but at the sound of raucous cackling as they were swept back as the doors crashed open. Szayel fumbled for her hand, but was thrown back as Kurotsuchi burst into the room.

"How interesting," he mused. "Kurotsuchi Nemu has finally experienced human emotion." He regarded them coldly. "Don't think I haven't been watching you court her, Szayel-Aporro Granz," he sneered. "It's no use. And Nemu!"

She jumped at the sound of her name, lip threatening to tremble slightly. A tear traced down her cheek.

"You're nothing but a creation," he scoffed. "You don't have feelings. I never planned it." He paused and reconsidered. "Or maybe it was a side effect of the brilliance of my creation," he mused, as the other two in the room were frozen with shock. "Never you mind. After we're done here I'll have to dismantle you again and reprogram you... It seems you've been disobedient again. With all this talk of... feelings and free will," he said spitefully. "You're nothing more than an instrument, created by _me_ to do _my_ bidding! All that you've achieved was possible because of _me_!" he crowed basking in his self-praise. "You only got this far because _I_ turned a blind eye."

"Wha - ?"

"Leave us, Granz - "

"_Sip, Fornicaras_!"

There was an explosion, and Nemu shielded herself while Mayuri watched on with interest. Szayel-Aporro Granz was absolutely livid. "You absolute _monster_!"

"Hrm," Kurotsuchi grunted, "nothing I haven't been called before."

With a yell, Szayel launched himself at Kurotsuchi as Nemu sobbed quietly in the corner. This time her creator had gone too far, further than he'd ever gone before. He was now going to do away with the one being that had ever actually cared for her.

Szayel clashed furiously with Kurotsuchi, smashing various furniture and science equipment in their battle. They smashed through the walls as well, Nemu appearing unscathed as she dodged, scrubbing at her face feverishly. Reiatsu flared, but Kurotsuchi was treating it like a mere game. "That all you got?" he asked boredly. "I killed you once; I can do it again!"

"No!" Nemu cried.

Kurotsuchi snorted. He and Szayel fought back and forth until Szayel was left panting. Nemu had her hands clapped over her mouth, eyes streaming glistening tears. This was her most human moment yet. As the battle dragged on, she noticed one thing. Kurotsuchi wasn't even trying to fight. More like lazily watching Szayel's movements.

"Is that all?" Kurotsuchi asked. "Whatever." He grinned madly and made to plunge his sword in Szayel's throat, but Szayel raised a hand to stop him, a smirk on his face.

"'Fraid you're a bit late." One of his tentacles dropped a small plush toy into his other hand as Kurotsuchi gaped. "You've been a bit lax, my friend." And he tore the small model of Kurotsuchi Mayuri in half, taking the head right off. Kurotsuchi stumbled, his neck tearing with a sickening _pop_ and Szayel hurled the toy onto the ground. With a yell, he picked up a chunk of rubble and slammed it down on the colourful model. Again and again, he crushed the thing under the stone, and when it broke he found another and smashed it down until it crumbled. Again and again, he crushed the small model until the corpse of Kurotsuchi Mayuri was barely recognisable, turned into a bloody pulp that oozed chemicals and all sorts of sick fluids he'd injected into himself, and Nemu too without a doubt, Szayel thought grimly. Only fragments of the man's skull and headdress remained, covered in blood, gore and _ooze_. Szayel rose, chest heaving and covered in muck and debris, and turned away from the man he had regarded as mad and cruel and comical even. He was a monster, more of a Hollow than Szayel now was. And then he turned to Nemu. "Uh oh..."

Nemu was on her knees in front of the corpse, and Szayel approached her tentatively, relinquishing his Resurreccion state. Her shoulders shook and the sleeves of her shihakusho were soaked in tears as she wept.

"I-I'm terribly sorry - " Szayel began, but he was stopped as Nemu charged at him, barrelling into him and wrapping her arms around him, gore and all. He gingerly patted her on the back, whispering and murmuring comforts as she cried her heart out for the loss of all that she'd believed in. A crowd had gathered, and there were murmurs and whispers. Nemu ignored them, clutching at Szayel as if he was her lifeline to the world, like a piece of wood in the stormy sea to a drowning woman. And he held onto her as well.

-::-

Szayel had cleaned himself up after making sure that Nemu was okay; she's reassured him, the areas around her eyes and nose red but she wasn't crying anymore, quite the opposite actually. She had a rather bitter smile on her face and as he exited, he took her hand in his and was not surprised when she gripped it tightly. However, she herself was surprised when he spun her around and pulled her into a passionate kiss, embracing her tightly. And she had accepted it. "I thought I owed you a kiss," Szayel murmured in between their lip-locking.

When they finally pulled apart, Nemu's face was rosy, but she glanced at Kurotsuchi's smashed corpse and as if remembering something – which she had – she blanched and grabbed his wrist. "Szayel-sama I have to show you something," she said urgently, pulling him to the supercomputer where Kurotsuchi kept all his data. Szayel would have swooned at the thought of gaining access to his enemy's computer but the anxiety in her voice made him sober up.

"Yes, what is it?" he said, rattled by her suddenly urgent tone. She hunched over the keyboard and typed rapidly the password, her hands practically flying over the keys. Kurotsuchi had in fact underestimated both of them, Szayel mused, as he watched Nemu hack into the computer with enough skill for one to believe she was the owner of said computer.

"Here are some files I have to show you," she said grimly, and Szayel was taken aback. She'd opened up a large document.

"Holy fuck, Nemu, th-this is…" Szayel breathed, trailing off. "We ought to show the Captain Commander, we do," he murmured hurriedly, gripping Nemu's trembling shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Nemu was in no condition to answer, frozen in horrified reminisce. "I…" She bowed her head. "I used to take part in the recording of these documents."

Szayel tipped her chin up with his forefinger. "Nemu, dear," he said earnestly, "I used to have the same capacity of feelings before I came into contact with you. I held living creatures in the same regard as _he _did before you," he said, his speech growing quicker, "and assisting that monster is no fault of yours. You had _feelings _as well as an unwavering loyalty to him, and no one will blame you for siding up with him at first in th-this…" He shook his head as if to clear it of something. "No one blames you," he repeated. "I certainly don't. The fact that you showed such a human response today is proof that you are _not _a monster. You may only be artificial but you are so much more than a lifeless robot. Now, are you better?" he queried.

"I-I'm fine," Nemu said, her breath shaky. "We must inform the others straight away." Szayel smiled at her before they both took off, leaving the horrible documents up on the computer. They would have been seen by all the scientists currently in the lab if the computer hadn't switched to standby mode, which was a relief. Because on those files were the recorded information and torture of many different beings, and the one that they had just opened up was information on Ishida Soken, Ishida Uryu's grandfather. And hell, Szayel sure as heck remembered the surname.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I have just realized that Bleach starts in 2001, all the events happening in 2001 as well as the Fake Karakura Town battle/Winter War, and this story is set 13 years after that… making it 2014! Whoa… Holy…**

Explosions and Experiments

There were twelve captains in Kurotsuchi Mayuri's office that day, thirteen if one counted the mashed up corpse of Kurotsuchi himself. He room was filled with angry murmurs and whispers.

"Silence!" Yamamoto roared, and Szayel gave Nemu's hand a comforting squeeze. All the captains were here and in shock at the sight that beheld them at the SRDI, in Kurotsuchi's room, at his bloodied and crushed corpse. There was no trace of the man's painted face, but if there was Szayel would have known it would be in a grotesque grin, a reflection of what the man had been in life - a monster.

Soifon's mouth was set in a hard, severe line as she gazed at the scene: the ransacked office and the various chemicals, as well as the rubble. Nemu was still shaky, but she managed the ghost of a smile as Szayel squeezed her hand again. The other captains were stony-faced and even Kenpachi was sombre, Yachiru not on his shoulder for once.

Jushiro bowed his head. "Please recount what happened, Nemu-san."

Haltingly, Nemu recalled what had gone on, her cheeks flaring as she tried not to describe her and Szayel's little moment at first. "H-he told me I was..."

"Quiet," Szayel snapped, and at the slight hurt flashing across her face, he quickly apologised. "I didn't mean that, Nemu darling, but you don't have to remember what that hideous monster told you. It was horrendous, and no one - except maybe Aizen - is deserving of that," he said gently. "I'm sorry for being so brusque with you, but you would do well not to linger on the terrible things he told you." And she had nodded, casting her eyes downward.

"Is this true?" Unohana asked sharply, her Reiatsu flaring. "He exacted all sorts of experiments on you and disassembled you to - to conduct those horrible experiments?"

"Yes," Nemu mumbled miserably, shuffling closer to Szayel.

"And there's more," he said grimly. "If you please, Nemu dear."

She led them all to the huge computer screen, skirting around the stinking corpse delicately and typed rapidly, her hands moving in a blur across the keyboard. And what came up was enough to make the captains all cringe. Shinji winced visibly, muttering curses under his breath and Otoribashi raised a hand to his mouth, drawing in breath. Even Byakuya's eyes widened and he uttered a soundless curse. Captain Commander Yamamoto's eyes opened and he sighed. "So this has been confirmed," he rumbled.

"Indeed. He has been exacting experiments on all sorts of species - right here in Seireiei too! - whether it be human, Hollow or Shinigami," Akon spoke up, the third seat moving forward. He shook his head slowly. "And I thought his experiments weren't all that bad," he murmured morosely, "but going to this extent! He hid all this from us..."

"Pain resistance, chemical resistance, he's tested so many horrendous things against them," Nemu said, her voice slowly becoming stronger. "I used to assist him in them," and now she faltered, "I used to feel nothing when I heard their tortured screams of agony. I thought... I thought..."

"It seems as if he views others as nothing more than specimens," Shunsui murmured sombrely, sparing Nemu the pain of continuing. "And the more interesting the specimens are, the more torture they have to endure," he finished grimly. "He must have been determined to continue until he had an 'adequate' amount of information on each and every species." He paused. "From his experiments on the Quincy Race, he doesn't seem to care if he destroys the entire race in the process."

"Genocide..." murmured Jushiro.

They flicked through the images on the screen, each one more grotesque and gory than their predecessor.

"Horrible," Hitsugaya muttered.

"You were right not t' bring along th' lieutenants," Kenpachi grunted. Even he seemed affected by the subdued atmosphere. "Yachiru... even she would'na liked t' see this... 'N' she'd'a been mad if we lef' 'er be'ind."

"I doubt Mashiro or Shuuhei would've been able to bear this either," Kensei added, shifting his position.

Unohana was silent for a period of time. "Isane has seen her fair share of... gore, but this would cause her so much pain, to see these innocents tortured into madness and their bodies twisted and..."

"If I may," Nemu began timidly. "There is a compartment he used to store them and exact his experiments. He also experimented on me in there. If you would like to see it?"

"It is not a matter of liking it," Yamamoto said gravely, "but we must see his crimes with our own eyes. Lead on, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain Commander." Nemu led them all to a steel wall. Akon looked just about ready to throw up the contents of his stomach, and he was pretty sure everyone else felt the sane, judgin by their ashen faces. Nemu felt around the wall and pressed down on a square. A tall chunk of the wall lowered into the ground, smoke billowing out of the room. What they saw unleashed a string of curses capable of searing the air from Kenpachi, and Byakuya blanched, then turned quite green and then paled again. Otoribashi's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell backwards with a thump at the sight of the bodies. Some were moving even, uttering strangled gasps and gurgles, and Nemu began to cry anew. "He used to like to... to dabble in things!" she said shakily. "I never felt anything, but... but..." No one blamed her.

"Man, this is fucked up," Shinji said quietly.

Some had scales, some had wings with tattered feathers on them, all bent at unnatural angles. They barely even looked human any more, and the Hollows' bodies were all twisted and mangled beyond recognition. Their holes were meddled with; some were stitched up, some were filled with a white substance... They were all in cages. Some of the spirits looked like trees. Hitsugaya swallowed. They looked like they were wearing the garbs of the Rukongai citizens, and he silently thanked the Soul King that his grandmother was not among those. If she was, then he reckoned he would have started to cry like Nemu, and as if sensing his distress, Komamura placed a large gloved hand on his shoulder in comfort. But his own hackles were raised, in what way they could have been as a humanoid figure. His ears were flattened, and his lips were curled in a faint snarl as a low growl emanated from him.

Jushiro looked extremely unwell and he lurched over, hacking and coughing up blood. Unohana immediately rushed over to support them, and the tortured creatues uttered long, low moans at the scent of blood, some thrashing around in distress. They were all too familiar with it.

"They all look in immense pain," Unohana said finally, her voice quiet but ringing through the stony silence of the captains. Nemu's sobs had quietened down somewhat, but she still clung onto Szayel. She was by no means a weak woman, but what she had just experienced... It would be enough to bring anyone to tears, to have their entire existence shattered like that. Szayel rather awkwardly pat her on the back.

"Boy, am I glad Momo ain't here t' see this," Shinji growled, followed by an almost imperceptible nod from Kensei. Shunsui shifted and mumbled something about his 'dear sweet Nanao-chan' and Soifon thought privately that Omaeda would have made a huge scene. She was sure Abarai and Iba would have made huge fusses as well. Women had to deal with more blood than men assumed, she thought wryly.

Komamura had gone over to examine furred, canine-looking bodies with apprehension and disgust. "We will have to put all these poor souls out of their misery," he declared as one of them let out a low, animal moan.

"I will do it personally," Yamamoto said, bowing and shaking his head. "In all my long life, I..." And he heaved a long sigh, beard billowing as he did.

Unohana rested a hand on his shoulder, still leading a sickly-looking Jushiro along. "We will leave you to it," she promised. They all left the room and away from the SRDI as Yamamoto launched into Shunpo, darting around the room to give the experiments a quick, merciful death. And he then set fire to the place with his Ryuujin Jakka after the job had been done. Szayel and Nemu watched sombrely as the flames died down, and Szayel drew her away.

The crackling of the fire died down as it finished turning everything inside the room into charred and blackened ash.

-::-

"Hey, you okay?" Ggio asked warily. Soifon walked quickly away from him, hugging herself. She still hadn't entirely recovered from the horrors in the lab. There had been a rotting corpse lying inside a cage being prodded by several mangled creatures appearing half-human, half-feline. They had bald patches in their tabby fur of sickly-looking mottled murky yellow-brown skin and the visible skin they had seemed to be several sizes too big for them, hanging off their twisted frames in wrinkled, papery folds. Their eyes had been bloodshot and rheumy, and a startlingly gold colour.

Their breath came in rattling gasps and wheezes, and they could speak short words, and they had seemed to be in a lot of pain. She had almost been brought to tears at the creatures, some of whom had scales as well as fur and stubby horns behind their catlike ears._ Help me... Get me out... Me out here... Help! Hurts... Can't breathe... I can't breathe! Save... us... Save! Help! _

She squeezed her eyes shut as she rounded the corner quickly, trying to shut out the cracked, miserable voices she heard and ended up colliding with Ggio. Kurotsuchi had been a heartless monster... Fusing cats and humans together...

"Again, are you okay?" Ggio offered her his hand, but she refused it, her eyes still tightly shut. She opened them again to be met with his concerned eyes staring into her own, much like the creatures in the lab. For a moment he was replaced with one of the pained creatures in the lab and she jerked away from him, and the vision cleared.

"I'm... I'm fine," she managed to choke out. "Just... leave me..."

"No, you're not okay!" Ggio insisted. "Something's bothering you, for sure!" He tried to get her to tell, laying a tentative hand on her shoulder but she pulled away. "Is it the same reason as that other night?"

"Leave me be!" she snapped more sharply than she'd intended to, and he backed away, taking on the demeanour of a cornered animal. She regained her composure for a few seconds, then hurried back to her office, still hugging herself. "I-I don't need you hanging around me!"

Ggio watched her go, then turned. She was weird, that was for sure. He wondered if this had something to do with her crying the other night, when she'd gone into the kitchens. Once again he thought about Barragan's task for him. Maybe she'd found out? He hoped not.

Soifon was in her office and a few minutes later, Ggio stepped in without a word and laid a cup of tea on her desk as she stared in confusion, exiting just as he entered. Soifon stared at the cup. She really didn't understand Arrancar.

-::-

A solemn report was given on Kurotsuchi Mayuri by Szayel, Nemu and Akon, who still looked queasy and guilty. Szayel and Nemu had taken on the role of captain together, as decided by the other scientists, and needless to say it was a much better place. The Shinigami no longer needed to fear their captain, not even their replacement captains.

Only a portion of the data was kept as it is, only the ones that did not feature torture and death. Szayel was still working on editing them, being aided by Nemu and Akon. Everything in that little hidden room had been burnt to cinders, courtesy of Captain Commander Yamamoto. The room was blocked up and people wished it forgotten.

Kisuke had gotten the news too, and it pained him to think of this. "Perhaps he should have stayed in the Maggots Nest," he murmured to himself. The man was brilliant, but too obsessive and not even 1% as mindful of other creatures' lives. That was probably the reason he'd been imprisoned there in the first place, before he could start harming others for the sake of 'science'. Kisuke pressed his lips together and adjusted his hat as the bell rang, signaling a customer entering the shop. He put on his best smile and perked up.

The customer was a familiar-looking young man with short, messy red hair and eyebrows to match. "Welcome to the Urahara Shoten!" Kisuke beamed, flinging up his arms. "How can I help yooouu…" he trailed off and lifted a shaking finger to point at the young man. "B-b-but… _Jinta?!_"

"Nice to see you too, boss," Hanakari Jinta said casually, dumping his bag down on the floor and running a hand through his hair, messing it up even further as he regarded Kisuke. "It's sure been a long time," he drawled.

"Oh, how I've missed you!" Kisuke squealed childishly, launching himself at Jinta but the young man yelped and kicked him away, hands in pockets.

"Boss, I'm twenty-four now!" Jinta cried.

Kisuke sniffled. "Moved away to Naruki with your girlfriend," he sobbed melodramatically, causing Jinta to redden, "but you still call me boss!" Kisuke cried, rolling around on the ground. Jinta rubbed his face with his hands.

"Yeah, but we're visiting now…" he grumbled, though his face was still flushed red. "Yuzu wanted to see her big brother for his birthday… Ugh, we're… like… three weeks too early," he said, looking at the calendar which read June 24. "We haven't told Carrot-Top though," he added.

"Say no more!" Kisuke cried, leaping up and slinging an arm around Jinta's shoulders in a fatherly fashion. "You can stay here!"

"What? No!" Jinta spluttered. "Tessai's just gonna make me do chores again! Anyways we've already unpacked our shi - stuff at the local hotel so we don't inconvenience anyone," he said, catching himself mid-swear so that Kisuke wouldn't drag him to the bathroom and scrub his mouth out with soap.

"Ooh?" Kisuke wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, with a bonus lecherous smirk before dodging a blow from Jinta, crying, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Finally he sobered up and held up his hands to protect himself. "What of Karin? And Ururu?"

"They're on a trip together but they'll be returning in… uh… a week or so?" Jinta answered uncertainly. "What kind of a father figure are you, can't even keep track of your adopted daughter – well, assistant – and her girlfriend!"

"WHAT?" Kisuke's eyes popped. "They're together?"

"Well, yeah."

"Oh yes!" Kisuke was practically dancing around in joy. "I'll prepare a huge party for the families! No wonder Yuzu and Karin visited so much, oh it was inevitable!"

"Uh… You don't seem very surprised to know that they've crossed the fence and stuff…" Jinta scratched his head. "Karin dated a few guys and turned them way, claiming them to be idiots… Hell, she even dated one of her old friends from her friend group but it didn't work out. And… Ururu? She was super shy, so maybe she was hiding it all along." Jinta cleared his throat. "Anyway, I have to do some business…" He looked around furtively before leaning in close. "Have any chocolates? I wanted to buy them for Yuzu while she's busy…"

"Aw, how sweet - OW!"

The bell rang again and a slightly breathless, older Yuzu hurried in. "Sorry about that, Jinta-kun!" She paused. "Wait, what?"

Jinta looked as if he was about to hit Kisuke and his cheeks were bright pink. "Uh…

Kisuke hurriedly slipped out and came with a box of chocolates and a flower, pressing it into a dumbstruck Jinta's chest. "Free of charge, since you're my former employee and all that," he gabbled before scrambling back to the counter with a devious smile.

Yuzu had grown slightly taller, and Jinta, who was previously shorter than her, was now taller; something he would brag about until she threatened to spit in their dinner. Yuzu usually cooked because Jinta was terrible and almost accidentally poisoned her at one point. Her pale brown hair was longer and hung below her shoulders in wavy curls, bangs framing her face. Her eyes were still the same though, but now they were narrowed.

"Jinta…" she said slowly and threateningly, "Apologize to poor Urahara-san."

"Yes, Yuzu…" Jinta was cowed and apologized profusely, and she also forced him to say a load of thanks for the chocolates and flower, then blushed when he presented them to her and went on tiptoe to kiss his forehead, Kisuke fanning himself the whole time and cooing annoyingly.

"I called up Karin-chan and she said she'd be coming a bit later," Yuzu pouted and furrowed her brows, "three days later in fact." She brightened up. "But she won't be late for the surprise party we're going to throw!"

"Uh, Yuzu-san… Have you planned it out properly?" Kisuke asked with interest.

She reddened and a mumbled 'no' escaped her mouth. Jinta sighed and flicked the back of her head.

Urahara nodded. "That's okay," he cried happily, "We'll throw it here!"

"H-here?!" Jinta spluttered.

"Sure thing!" Yuzu grinned. "I'll drag Jinta along so he doesn't blab, because _he can't keep a secret!_" Her eyes narrowed again, and it was amazing how such a short, slender woman with a warm face could suddenly look so fearsome.

Jinta blanched, cowered and muttered, "That was one time…"

"Well," Yuzu checked her watch, "we'd better be going now!" She waved. "Bye, Urahara-san!"

"Yeah, bye boss," Jinta mumbled before they both left the shop.

* * *

**Ohhh rare pairing alert :D I don't think I've ever seen a pairing of Ururu and Karin. Tbh it was just something crack I came up with and fawned over for a good 15 minutes a few days ago when I was planning. And Jinta had the most adorable crush on Yuzu *dies* Welp, Carrot-Top and the gang are showing up in about... five chapters?**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I have five documents open. *gross sobbing* **

Kuro

Ggio pondered his predicament a while longer, rolling a smooth pebble between his hands. The rush of the little creek beside him calmed him, and he listened to it. Squatting on a rock in the forest wasn't going to do him any good right now, he supposed, but then again was there anything to do?

He suddenly felt angry. Why couldn't he remember a chunk of his life at times, then have it rushing back to him, only to disappear when he tried to think more about it? It was stupid. Growling, he hurled the pebble into the creek where it landed with a splash and sank down to the bottom, just another small rock on the ground. It would do nothing to change the flow of the water. Like how he could do nothing to change what went on in Seireitei, no matter how forcefully someone threw him.

Threw him? Ggio shook his head. He recalled a brief moment of rushing through the air in Las Noches, only to crumple against the wall. Wincing, he rubbed his head. That's right... He had been thrown hard enough... Hard enough to make a dent in said wall and have chunks of white rock crash down onto him... Involuntarily shuddering him, he wondered who it was that had thrown him.

Barragan? He remembered his master - no, old master's Reiatsu filling up the entire room, threatening to crush him like an ant. His frown deepened. But would Barragan really do that? He thought he was the most loyal out of all his lackeys. But maybe Barragan himself hadn't thought about that. It stung to be doubted by his own master but he had a new life now... Right?

He continued on, trudging slowly out of the forest. He heard the sounds around him, of twittering birds and animal calls. Once or twice something crashed and blundered around in the undergrowth behind him, but he took no notice.

He exited the forest when the trees thinned out and it was no longer so dark and wild, and saw a small Rukongai village. The children had gathered into a circle and were doing something rowdy, and adults were milling around, immersed with their own conversation, taking no notice of the children's games. Ggio probably would have ignored it too, if not for the earsplitting wail emanating from the small circle of tightly-packed children. Curious, Ggio inched closer.

He saw a few barefoot children surrounding a small black kitten, laughing as they kicked at it and prodded it with a stick. The cat's fur was matted and it smelled terrible, and it seemed to be covered in a range of different substances, none of which looked or smelled clean. His eyes narrowed as the kitten let out another piteous wail, and a boy snorted and raised his stick to hit it again. Ggio scowled. Was this how children in the Rukongai district entertained themselves?

He strode over, releasing a small amount of Reiatsu to form a faint magenta light and have children scrambling away from them. The boy who had his stick raised turned to look pointedly at him. "What're you doin' here?"

"Get away from the cat," Ggio muttered.

"No." The boy slammed his stick into the ground, barely missing the kitten who rolled out of the way and let out a few mewls. His eyes narrowed. "You can't take away our fun. This cat here," he waved his stick, causing several people to lean out of the way or duck, "stole some of our food."

"You don't look starving to me, but that kitten does." And it did. Several of its ribs were showing, and it looked as if it was only skin and bones.

"Me, leave the kitten alone?" The boy laughed. "Make me." The other children laughed too, but with hesitance and uncertainty. It looked as if they weren't so confident in the arrogant boy with the large stick, and they looked as if they were already regretting pestering and hurting the cat, Ggio thought with satisfaction.

Ggio sighed, then moved so fast the boy hardly had time to think. He kicked the stick out of his hand and twisted the boy's arms behind his back. He hooked an arm underneath his neck and growled, "That enough for ya?"

The boy's face was full of fear, and he glanced desperately at his friends who were shrinking away, looking as if they wanted nothing to do with the scene in front of them. A girl was whimpering, her eyes swimming with unshed tears as she hid behind her older sister, who glared at him warily. The boy looked back at Ggio, nodded, and was instantly let go of. He staggered, rubbing his neck, and the children scattered. He quickly took one look at the cat, scooped it up as it yowled and disappeared with the use of Sonido, leaving with a soft buzzing noise as the adults shouted and gaped.

He reappeared at the Squad Two barracks, the cat whimpering and cradled in his arms. Taking a closer inspection, he realised that there were several cuts along the cat's skinny frame, and they were all oozing a small amount of blood. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, and noticed it was breathing raggedly; taking short, shallow breaths due to the red cloth around its neck tied tightly enough to hinder its breathing. Its green eyes were filled with fear at what the Arrancar was going to do, and would have probably scratched, writhed and wriggled out of his grasp if not for the feline aura Ggio seemed to radiate. But he mewled his head off all the same and dug his claws into Ggio's arm as the Arrancar attempted to hide him when a few ninjas passed by. They glanced at him quizzically, and the kitten was squirming behind him as he grinned awkwardly and shuffled away.

The kitten yowled, struggled and eventually went limp, much to Ggio's relief as he made to hold it normally again, but paused. No kitten.

There was no matted fur and ragged breathing, and the smell lingered but was less strong. The gears in his mind whirred and almost went into overdrive as he panicked and started looking around feverishly for the cat, only to hear shushing and soft mewls coming from around the corner. He sighed and rounded the corner, expecting to see a cat thief but froze.

Soifon was sitting on the ground, cradling the kitten and cooing nonsensically to it, tickling its belly with one finger and drawing it back when the kitten batted at it with its paws. She didn't seem to notice Ggio standing there, motionless, and continued playing with the kitten, now content and slightly sleepy. Ggio had turned around, but she suddenly spoke up. "Ggio. Is it yours?" She sounded wary, as if the events of the other day were still playing over and over in her head.

"Uhh..." Ggio swallowed, unsure of how to approach her. "I found it in Rukongai being abused by a bunch of children."

Soifon sighed, scooping the kitten up gently, taking care not to injure it more as it let out a few quiet squeaks. It snuggled closer to her, purring softly, and Soifon looked fondly down at it. Ggio tentatively reached out a hand to let the kitten sniff at it, but it instead growled and batted at it with unsheathed claws. He drew his hand back, wincing slightly as the claws pricked his hand. A small smile crept over Soifon's face as she watched and petted the cat, scratching behind its ears and under the chin. But she seemed to realise Ggio watching, and quickly masked it with a disinterested mask. "We need to wash it," she said brusquely.

"We?" Ggio asked slowly, "But the facilities-"

"There's a private one in the office," Soifon said quickly, the snoozing kitten wrapped in her arms. It had curled up to the folds of her haori and had already made some small holes in her sleeves. "Come on." Ggio followed her to the office, listening to the soft purrs of the kitten and wondering how it liked her more than himself, despite the obvious feline similarities. And, if Soifon had already forgotten about the past events.

"Shit!" Ggio hissed as he tried to drop the cat into the sink, which was a few centimetres filled with warm water, but the cat still hissed and screeched and refused to get in, thrashing and struggling with its claws dug into Ggio's arm. Its hind legs flailed, splashing water everywhere, and even Soifon had an irritated look on her face as she leaned back to avoid being splashed. Ggio, however, got a faceful of water and whatever the cat's feet had stepped in. "Disgusting," he muttered. He once again tried to lower the cat into the water, but the cat dug its claws into his hand even more and it was now both of them hissing angrily, one out of pain and the other out of fear.

Soifon watched with disinterest as Ggio once again attempted, and finally said: "Why don't we just wipe him down with a wet towel?"

Ggio stared at her with rivulets of blood running down his arms, dumbstruck, the kitten in his hands hanging limp with his hind legs dangling in mid-air; he gave a mewl that finally snapped Ggio out of his shock. "Why didn't you say that earlier?" he snapped.

"It was funny."

The cat opened its mouth to cry out before being enveloped and wiped with clean white towel, soaked with warm water. Some blood - whether it was the cat's or Ggio's was unclear - rubbed onto the towel and the cat shrieked louder, but eventually was gently rubbed dry by Soifon with another, cleaner towel. The cat's fur was now standing up and rubbed around messily from being dried with the towel, and it was clean at least. The cuts still had to be treated, and the red cloth around its neck was too tightly tied to remove.

Soifon huffed in exasperation. "I can't get it off!" she cried, arms hanging beside her as she gave up on untying the knot in the cloth.

"I think you got the easier job!" Ggio gritted, wincing as the cat struggled and mewled.

"Oh, let go of him and you try," Soifon snapped, nudging Ggio out of the way and taking hold of the cat. Ggio shrugged and went to try and undo the knot, but had less luck than Soifon.

"Hold on, I'm getting something to cut it with," he called, turning and making his way out, closing the door quietly behind her. Soifon and the cat glance at each other bemusedly before it batted at its own tail playfully, already bored with the wait. Soifon glanced around at the mess in the bathroom with growing despair at the muddy water on the floor, and Ggio returned, this time with a large knife. The cat immediately yowled loudly and writhed in fear, while Soifon looked horrified.

"You can't use that to cut the cloth; it's too big!"

"It was all I could find!" he snapped back. "Hold on." He inched closer to her and the cat, flinching as the cat flailed its paws, trying to swipe at him with its claws. Soifon watched on, wary and on edge if anything went wrong.

The kitten's struggles grew stronger as he drew closer and the knife drew under the cloth. Soifon flinched slightly as their skin made contact, but Ggio didn't seem to notice. She berated herself for acting like this, and staggered as the cat screeched and thrashed around, and then the cloth was cut open; the damp red fabric laying on the edge of the basin, several dark stains on it.

The cat grew limp, whimpering slightly, and Ggio heaved a sigh. It hadn't been easy dodging the cat's blows and swipes while trying to avoid slicing into something with the knife, and Soifon agreed; she was still shaken from when she almost lost her grip on the damp black fur and let it fly into Ggio's face with the rage of a storm. The cat was just glad it hadn't gotten its neck sliced open. It wriggled out of Soifon's grasp and pranced out of the door, the two watching it.

"So, what do you want to call him?"

"Oh?" Soifon kept her gaze fixated on the cat as it sniffed around, completely unbothered by its scratches and cuts. "I don't know. What do you suggest we name it?"

"Uh..." Ggio thought for a moment. His brain seemed dead. "...Kuro?"

Soifon blinked and nodded. Come to think of it, Kuro looked a lot like Yoruichi, except just with green eyes. He also acted like it, judging from the way Kuro sauntered around the room like he owned it. She suppressed a smile at how Kuro disliked having Ggio touch him, but was fine with her despite the fact she had nothing to do with cats other than being extremely over-obsessed with them.

Soifon had a new follower that day. Everywhere she went, Kuro trailed in her footsteps eagerly. His paws pattered on the ground after hers, and people began wondering if this was somehow Shihoin Yoruichi's nephew or something. They never knew if a small adorable animal was somehow going to transform into a nude Shinigami, and they'd rather not.

Kuro had been a boisterous little kitten after his wounds had been treated, and he appeared to be around 8-9 weeks, according by Captain Unohana. Kuro had been a little shaky on his feet but he appeared to be doing well. He constantly tried to catch and pounce on Soifon's cloth-covered braids, batting his paws at them before falling backwards and springing up again. It just depended on what mood she was whether she found it annoying or endearing, and most of the time she enjoyed watching Kuro play.

And then he slept a lot, even more than he played. She'd often come into the office and find a sleeping black kitten curled up on her chair or desk, snoozing and purring quietly. Kuro had not taken to Ggio much ("Ungrateful fuzzball," Ggio often muttered, "I saved him,") and preferred the quiet company of Soifon. Perhaps he found Ggio intimidating, or just didn't like the big-cat aura the short Arrancar seemed to radiate. But either way Ggio was shunned by the small black cat.

Soifon sighed as she scooped up the dozing kitten for the umpteenth time and laid him down in a basket filled with soft, downy blankets with surprising tenderness; she wasn't known for being a soft and cuddly person (although Yoruichi had plenty of fond memories from when Soifon was a young girl), and heard a sigh from the doorway. She looked up from the heap of black fur to Ggio's placid face, which was staring at the floor. He leaned on the doorframe and seemed to be deep in thought, as if he wasn't even there but in another time, or another memory.

She took a breath and blew it out through her nose. Standing up, she awkwardly rubbed at her arm. She saw his sleeves were rolled up and an assortment of Band-Aids on his own. She cleared her throat, seeing his glazed-over eyes suddenly focus, flit to her face then faintly smile. He pushed himself off the doorframe and clasped his hands together. "Well," he began awkwardly, "This didn't really start well, seeing as…" He trailed off, glanced at her again, and continued, "Well, _that _happened 'n' all that, but we could be friends? Acquaintances at least?"

He extended a hand, and Soifon blinked, gaze drifting down to his outstretched palm and took it hesitantly, shaking it and letting go almost immediately. "Yeah…" she muttered, head ducked. Her head was swimming from that other encounter. Saying that they had a little disagreement was a huge understatement, and she preferred to work alone, but seeing as he already knew, she might as well give it a try. "Friends, then," she said with an amount of uncertainty. A crooked half-smile spread over his face, and his eyes flickered downwards to where Kuro stirred, blinking open his vivid green eyes and yawning.

"Well, see you later." He reached down and held out two fingers for Kuro to sniff; the cat batted at them with his paws and snapped viciously at Ggio and the Arrancar was forced to hastily retreat. Soifon stifled a snort, and Ggio turned on his heel and waved, disappearing down the corridor in a flash with Sonido and a soft buzzing sound. Soifon might have just made her first actual friend after Yoruichi left, not including the Shinigami Women's Association.

She had not realized she was staring at the empty space where he stood until Kuro tottered over to her, gave a large yawn, mewled and rubbed his head against her leg. She blinked and picked the kitten up, scratching him behind his ears and putting him down again when he wriggled. Kuro leapt out of her arms, wobbled on short, unsteady legs for a moment, then put one paw in front of the other and was soon running away. Soifon listened to the patter of his paws against the heated wooden floor (suitable for Yoruichi and cats in general), the light thump as he fell down, and then a rustling sound as Kuro shook out his fur and continued. She smiled faintly and went on her way.

-::-

Ggio reached the outside, slumped on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Making friends (somewhat) with her was daunting, but surprisingly easy, and would take him one step closer to achieving his goal for Barragan so that the old fart would get off his back. Ggio snorted. Shinigami and humans, and their concept of feelings and a heart. All that was rubbish. Or at least he used to think so. Now he had doubts about doing this, because for once he considered what would happen at the end, and it would have been awfully cruel… But, right now his priorities were Barragan first, Soul Society second.

A bulky man passed him, his hair tied into an extremely odd style, but Ggio took no notice. The man settled down to talk with his friends on his Soul Pager a couple of metres away, talking loudly enough for his voice to cut into Ggio's thoughts. Ggio glanced at him irritably, and started walking away, eyes narrowing as the man absently followed, immersed in his extremely loud conversation about yakitori and dinner.

He quickened his pace, breaking into a light jog and taking off, he once again disappeared, leaving a faint buzzing sound as he disappeared to a nearby rooftop, clearly not wanting to be followed. The man, he saw with annoyance, closed his Soul Pager the moment he landed and walked away. The left side of his chest and abdomen was bare. Ggio gave a hiss of annoyance as he seemed to recall who it was.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hella long chapter. Sorta. **

Why Indeed?

Tatsufusa Enjoji scowled angrily watching that midget pretty-boy disappear from view as he shoved his Soul Pager in a pocket. He let his braids down from that ridiculous get-up (unbeknownst to him, people privately thought it was better tied up - his two braids looked downright terrible) and stomped away. His hairstyle was a tribute to his beloved, who had two plaits herself but sadly she never seemed to notice him. He swore one day he'd get her to realise instead of longingly gazing after her then panicking when she drew close. He planned to get her something, perhaps chocolate, but paused. Did she even like chocolate?

Right now, Soifon was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with Kuro and watching the kitten wobble around on unsteady legs, no idea that some third-seat from Squad Eight was fawning over her. If she had, she would have found it extremely creepy and avoided going near said person, making him extremely sad.

Enjoji paced and paced. The Arrancar had spoken disdainfully about his Soifon, and also acted as if she wasn't a great catch! But they shared an uncanny resemblance, and he couldn't shake off his suspicions that he was moving in on _his_ girl... even if she didn't know he existed... But that didn't matter. Enjoji wanted to take extra precautions on his way to Captain Soifon's heart, and first he needed to eliminate the annoying Arrancar.

He just had no idea how. Maybe what he'd said was true. But still. He remembered last time they'd fought each other, and Soifon seemed to be extremely angry with him. Enjoji smirked in satisfaction at remembering the look on his face, and suddenly felt glad he wasn't in the same Squad. Soifon probably would have gotten so mad at him as well, and he didn't want to make her mad.

He began ambling down the pavement, sparking odd glances from other Shinigami as he stroked his chin thoughtully, his two braids swinging stiffly behind him. They were but a feeble imitation of Captain Soifon's raven strands, plaited and wrapped elegantly with white cloth. They were much longer and neater than his; his own were hastily put into place by large clumsy fingers unused to crafting delicate items... As Enjoji mused, his thoughts strayed and sparked an idea!

His thoughts had been in fancy and poetic language, and he needed to put that into use. He would write her a poem! And not just any poem, but the best poem ever, a romantic poem that would spark the fires of her heart and awaken the deep primal desires inside every soul, and make her heart his. Enjoji almost swooned at the thought of Soifon falling deeply in love with him, attracting even more confused glances. He sped up, hurrying back to his barracks in search of the finest ink, brushes and parchment.

-::-

A few hours later, a very confused messenger was bumbling around the Squad Two barracks. Enjoji had at first decided to find her and recite it to her himself in rich melodic tones, but had instead chickened out and sent a messenger to do it, providing a hasty, crude description of the one he had fallen so hard for. He had also scrawled out the recipient's name on the envelope, but it was hard for the messenger to read as Enjoji had been embarrassed and spent as little time as he could near the one delivering his message, running away in shame once he'd sent the messenger off.

A short figure was walking down the path, and the Riteitai messenger hurried up to him. "Excuse m-" He paused. This person seemed to fit the requirements. Short black hair that was long and braided at the end... Shining eyes and a petite frame... She looked very feminine. "Excuse me, ma'am!"

"Ma'am?!" The girl turned around furiously, and then the messenger realised, too soon, that he had forgotten to wear his glasses that day and in fact the person in front of him was _not_ a female Shinigami, but a male Arrancar, and he seemed very ticked off.

He gulped. "Not ma'am, but, er, her! No, sir!" He slapped himself, shaking his head. "Sorry, I'm not feeling too well today," he gabbled, "And please send this to... hmm..." He squinted, "Sai Fom?"

Ggio snorted, more than a little disgruntled. It had not been the first time someone had mistaken him for a girl, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "Fine," he grumbled, plucking the envelope from the messenger's hand; he knew who it was addressed to, even though they had mispronounced the name, and walked off, the messenger uttering a hasty and terrified thanks. It was only until the Arrancar had disappeared using Sonido - or whatever those Hollows called their fancy Shunpo substitute - that he had forgotten to tell him who it was from.

Ggio took one disinterested glance at the envelope and pocketed it, shuffling over to Soifon's office. Now that she had acknowledged him as 'not just a stupid enemy', there was less chance of him being yelled at whenever he did something wrong but he still had to tread carefully.

Making his way over to the office, he casually opened the door, saying, "This message just arrived for you, via Riteitai messenger." He squinted. "This messenger's pretty shit at writing actually." He paused, glancing up. "Hm?"

Soifon was immersed in a book on cats, the cover filled with colourful illustrations of kittens, a string tied around the end of her shoe with a feather at the end; she shook her ankle, causing the feather to swing around wildly and Kuro to fall on his back, flailing around and attempting to hook his claws into the infernal thing.

Ggio sidled over to her, peering over her shoulder at the book. She seemed not to notice, focused on an article detailing how to look after kittens, and he remarked, "This looks interesting, but I don't think the author knows how hyperactive Kuro is."

She flinched, noticing his head was positioned next to hers and he was in extremely close proximity, and muttered, "On average, it said," she closed the book, "And Kuro's not exactly alive so it might not affect him." Wriggling around, the string fell from her foot and landed right into the clutches of the dark-furred kitten, who began to tear into it viciously, fur bristling as he did so. Soifon watched it for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. What was wrong with her?

Ggio seemed to notice this, for he smiled crookedly. "I've got a message for you - received it from one of those Riteitai messengers and it might be important," he held it out of her reach as she swiped for it, Kuro mewing loudly, and went on, "But I'll give it to you only if..." He puckered his lips mockingly, laughing as he dodged an open-handed blow and dropping the envelope on her desk.

She opened it, a little disgruntled, and froze, eyes travelling over the paper in horror. "What the..."

"What is it?" Ggio asked, mildly worried, "Was it actually something important?" He bent over to look and stifled a snicker. "Ha? Looks like you-"

"Shut up," Soifon snapped, flicking him in the face with the paper. He dodged, chortling, and she scrunched the whole thing up, tossing the ball in the bin. Kuro sat bolt-upright, ears pricked as the sappy, embarrassing piece of writing was left for garbage, never to be touched again. Kuro padded over, sniffing curiously at the weird container he had somehow never noticed before. Shifting her attention away from the black kitten, she turned to Ggio, who was still gasping for breath with tears in his eyes. He sat up, giggled shakily and out of breath from the hilarity of Soifon's mortified face and the love poem, and asked, a wicked grin spreading over his face, "Who was it from? I wanna torture the poor soul."

Soifon shrugged, the tips of her ears a bright red colour, "I don't know. Some nobody, I guess."

Neither of them noticed the small black heap of fur leaping out of the bin and carrying a scrunched-up ball of paper with him as he padded out of the room.

-::-

Enjoji was nervously pacing outside the Squad Eight barracks. Inside his inebriated captain was lying on the floor and being reprimanded by the strict lieutenant. A group of laughing men passed him by, "Nice one, Third Seat!"

"Huh?" Suddenly he was drenched in sweat. Had Soifon been disgusted with his poem? And he'd worked so hard on it! He was nervously biting his nails as he crept closer, ears pricked for their conversation.

"Haha! Some squirt found this by the bins when he was playing with a cat. Well, the cat ripped his hands up, but look at this!" one of the burly men chortled, smoothing out a crumpled piece of parchment. Enjoji gulped as he realised what it was. His poem.

"Your eyes light up like the evening sky, your hair is as dark as the midnight... What the fuck is this?!" This was followed by more laughter, and Enjoji realised that Soifon must not have liked his poem, and these men obviously found it funny. He considered storming over to them and giving them a piece of his mind but when they read out another line from his piece of art in a sickeningly sappy tone, he shrank away, fainting onto the ground.

-::-

Ggio was still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes afterwards, much to Soifon's annoyance. He seemed so different from that other time. She sighed, turning her head exasperatedly away, watching an angry Kuro totter in, fur puffed out and looking like a murderous black pom pom. He was accompanied by another larger, sleeker black cat, well balanced on long, slender legs, tail raised contently above her. Unlike Kuro, her eyes were a vivid gold colour, not unlike Ggio's she noted.

"Yoruichi-sama!" Soifon rose from her chair and walked past Ggio, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, still suppressing silly giggles from the sappy poem - she was tempted to give him a good kick - and crouched low in front of Yoruichi. "What is it?"

Yoruichi flicked her tail and spoke in a raspy, deep masculine voice, "I found this kitten outside," she flicked Kuro's head with her tail and he scrabbled to bat at it, "He claimed he was with you and Ggio." Yoruichi blinked, her eyes showing signs of amusement. "Although he doesn't seem to like Ggio much-" Ggio sat straight up and looked over -"he referred to him as the cat-impostor rival."

Ggio shot a glare at the innocent-looking black kitten, and Kuro blinked back, completely unabashed. Soifon smirked, then turned back to Yoruichi. "Anything else?" she inquired. Yoruichi got up and paced around, eventually padding over and rubbing her head against Soifon's limp hand.

"I've got the results, and I'm returning to the Human World soon," Yoruichi rumbled, curling up against a now seated Soifon and letting the petite woman scratch her behind her ears. "I'm glad we settled everything between us," she murmured, tail twitching, eyes narrowed in contentment. Kuro, wanting in on the cuddles, ran over on unsteady legs and curled up against Yoruichi, adding to the pile of black fur.

Ggio glanced over, not wanting to intrude on the scene, and saw two pairs of eyes from the black heap; one lucid green and one a vibrant gold like his own. "So you finished your studies on the Arrancar?"

"Yep." Yoruichi stood, and with a shake of her fur, stepped daintily away, running her tail along Soifon's arm. "Now I've got to go," she nuzzled Soifon, "Goodbye!" She padded out of the room, Kuro staring blankly after her. After a long silence, he gave a long, plaintive mew. Unsatisfied with the half-hearted pet on the head he stormed off, staggered for a moment then went on his way defiantly, jumping up and landing on Soifon's chair. She made a silent note to herself never to let him see the secret tunnel beneath it, or to let him see Yachiru exit it after one of her Kuchiki Manor raids.

She found Ggio staring down at the ground blankly. Something seemed off about him. His brow was creased and his mouth was pursed into a small, severe line, and he seemed deep in thought. She opened her mouth to say something, and he immediately permed up, usual grin stuck in place instead of the passive expression only about... 37 seconds ago.

There came a sound of Kuro's mewling, and Soifon rose to investigate. Perhaps he had found the secret tunnels; Soul Society forbid he ever went down to explore and bump into Yachiru while he was at it. She had just picked Kuro up, the kitten curling up in her arms without complaint, when there was a soft click of the door closing. The silence that followed was punctuated by Kuro's soft purring as she scratched behind his ears.

-::-

Ggio had just walked outside, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him. The gentleness that Soifon handled cats with was surprising, as there was many a time he had witnessed her addressing the Onmitsukidō in training procedures, the result being the ninjas quavering in their shoes from her fearsome glares. It had been quite a while since he'd had his meeting with Barragan, and perhaps he should go again.

Hopping lightly along the rooftops, his clothes rustled and flapped with the wind rushing past him as he leaped. He was unaware of a figure watching him, a snoozing kitten in her arms and a slightly wistful look in her silvered brown eyes.

He passed many people, Shinigami and Arrancar alike, on his way to the forest. Everything seemed quiet save for the faint crashes and bangs in the distance, but that was an everyday occurrence with the rowdy Arrancar meeting the violent men of Squad Eleven. At last he reached the forest, thick leaves rustling and seeming to whisper and branches waving in the wind, seeming to beckon him. He blinked, diving into the undergrowth without a second thought.

He located the buzzing dome in almost no time, as his sensitive ears had picked up the sound before he even saw the flickering light. He approached warily.

"It's been quite a while," Barragan rumbled, shifting on his throne. There was a piercing pain at the back of Ggio's head, and he found himself marching forward. "You have doubted me?

He stayed silent, though his head ached and his legs tingled. He seemed to have no control over them, and the headache grew more painful, as if there was a rope attached to a fragment of his head and someone had tugged violently on it.

"Answer me..." Barragan growled, pulling Ggio forward still. Three figures stood silently around him. There was a pile of junk beside him, and two hunched bodies were scrabbling about it, searching for something. There were more of the little cloaked figures maintaining the dome, and a few of them gave the occasional squeak.

Ggio's mouth tasted like cardboard, and it felt as dry. His throat was like sandpaper, but he still cleared his throat and rasped, "Occasionally I despaired about the task."

"Hm..." The pain Ggio was experiencing lessened slightly and he subconsciously rubbed his left shoulder, unaware he was running his hand along a silvery, jagged scar underneath his sleeve.

"It's going well... kind of..." Ggio stumbled over his words, dread and fear washing over him as Barragan released a slight wave of Reiatsu. He shivered, a few spots on his flesh stinging slightly, and continued, "I'm no longer unwelcome in the office... and I was somewhat accepted after I brought back a kitten..."

"A _kitten_?!" Barragan boomed, Reiatsu lever growing higher and the done wavering slightly. There were a few yelps from the small cloaked figures; the three standing around Barragan flinched and stumbled slightly and the two hunched Arrancar - he presumed - paused in their rummaging and raised their heads before searching again. "You think this is a _joke_?!" There was a searing pain in his head and Ggio fell to his knees. He was dimly aware that the pile a short distance away held a few sake bottles... He could make out the number 10 and 8 written across a few of them... A broken white stick was also laying in the pile, a cloth attached with red, white and blue markings on it. It seemed familiar somehow.

The smooth, ceramic sides gleamed in the light of the Reiatsu-generated dome fused together by the many small Arrancar, presumable terrorised into submission by Barragan. Ggio clutched his head, which felt as if someone was hammering away inside it, but before he could raise his head to glance desperately at his master his arms were wrenched away by Barragan's power over Ggio, a weaker hollow than him. Barragan asserted his Reiatsu at the writhing form of his former Fraccion, making him stand wide open and hissed, "Do not fail me."

Ggio raised his head to glance at Barragan emptily, but Barragan aimed a kick to his ribs, driven by a sudden burst of rage, and Ggio collapsed, both from the force and Barragan's attack on his mind, powerful Reiatsu worming its way into his consciousness and knocking him to the ground and he curled up in pain.

There were a few whispered commands, as well as a surge of Reiatsu and a cloud of dust. A small form crouched low to the ground, several long limbs snaking out from behind it. Ggio heaved and panted, arms thrown instinctively around his head to protect himself, his lips curled in a slight snarl showing his teeth. It seemed as if his hair had spiked up, and he seemed to be bracing himself for another attack. Barragan snorted and thumped him with the butt of his battle-axe. Bending down to grab the collar of his uniform hatefully, he regarded the smallest, scrawniest and weakest of his Fraccion. His cold eyes scanned Ggio's drawn-in form balefully, eyes narrowed as he dangled him in mid-air like a human would hold a feral cat. His hand tightened on the scruff of Ggio's collar, and Ggio had never seemed more like a scraggly, dishevelled stray.

Snorting, he tossed his former Fraccion aside, ignoring the dull thud as Ggio hit the side of a tree and fell down, skin scraped by the bark. It was nothing compared to what he'd done to him back in Las Noches when he'd been disobedient and screwed the whole hollow-hunting plan up with his pitiful attempt to please his master. Several minor hollows, small ratlike creatures, scurried over at the scent of the blood of one of their own. More jumped out from the holes in the pile of junk, much to the disgust of the hunched form beside it, who had ceased rummaging. A few clawed curiously at his arms, squeaking, then scattered as he groaned and shifted.

Barragan grunted and motioned to the squatting figure in the corner. Ggio was lifted up by many smooth, tubular limbs and carried out of the forest, dumped unceremoniously outside the wall of Seireitei. One of the gatekeepers took pity on his battered form, recognising him, and picked him up effortlessly, dropping him gently inside the walls.

-::-

When Ggio came to, he was momentarily confused, his mind blank, and then he recalled what had happened. Someone must have transported him inside. He winced at the pain in his side and sat up, rubbing his head. He was inside the walls of Seireitei, that was for sure... Who'd aimed a vicious kick to his side though? Last thing he remembered was having a talk to Barragan.

Hobbling over to a building, he leaned on it for a moment before continuing, the ache in his side growing steadily more painful until he was forced to sit down, gasping. His back hurt. There were many scratches on his arms and face and his hair was tangled, falling beside his face like a matted curtain of black. Examining his forearms, he found that the sides of his arms were scraped and he had a splinter near his wrist. Plucking it out with a wince, he puffed up his cheeks discontentedly and blew out air; picking himself up he continued on his way, the dirty scratches on his arms stinging and his side flaming like someone had taken a large stone to it and beat him... Strangely enough, the concept seemed familiar as if he'd experienced it, which made him uncomfortable.

Ggio limped into the barracks, clutching his side and breathing heavily. He at last reached Soifon's office, and slumped down outside the door, face contorted in pain as his side and back screamed in agony. He scrubbed his scraped arms with his sleeve rolled down over his hands, but only succeeded in getting faint smears of blood on his white uniform, which was already quite dirty with fragments of tree bark, small dried leaves and dirt.

The door cracked open, Kuro pushing at it with his head. Nose twitching, he hobbled over to Ggio, nudging his arm aside and worming his way underneath, purring softly as Ggio stroked his side. Kuro's eyes were half closed, showing slivers of bright green, and he wriggled to be closer to Ggio, burying his head in the white fabric.

He felt comforted by the fact that Kuro felt at ease snuggled to his side, snoozing peacefully. His pain was more bearable now, and he wondered what would happen if anyone found them. Eventually, the faint vibrations of Kuro's purring, combined with the warmth of the late afternoon, convinced his eyelids to droop. Ggio struggled to keep awake but finally closed his eyes, Kuro creeping into his lap and curling up, his warmth and weight a steady reminder he had one of his own with him.

-::-

The door opened soundlessly once again, Soifon peering outside. She'd heard Kuro's now loud purring, clearly able to be heard within the room where she was working quietly, filling out and editing reports.

She glanced down at Ggio's battered form and huffed. It looked as if he'd been in a fight, even though she hadn't been able to sense it. She could see that he was wounded, and might have had more injuries. The cuts on his arms were going to get infected as they had a fair amount of dirt and grime in them, they might not have looked seriously but looks could be deceiving. They'd all learnt that once Aizen had cast away his 'kindly scholar' facade and revealed himself as a traitor. All this rushed through her head as she stood, gazing down at his immobile form, chest rising and falling with every breath he took. Kuro was still purring, although he had decreased in volume, and the two of them looked almost sweet.

Looking more at his face, Soifon found herself thinking that he looked peaceful and completely different, his vibrant eyes were closed, and his face didn't have its sarcastic element of brow creases and impertinent grins. He looked almost... agreeable. But once he woke up he'd be back to his usual infuriating self. Sighing, she glanced around furtively. No one in sight.

She grasped his arm and, keeping the door wide open behind her, dragged him in, Kuro mewing faintly in protest. Several small leaves and traces of dirt were left on the wall he had been leaning on. He hopped off, running to her feet as she pulled Ggio's unmoving form inside. Anyone watching might have found the scene... extremely odd... but there was no one around thankfully. Propping him up against the wall, she studied his arms. She'd have to clean the wounds. Walking into the bathroom, she took a clean towel, holding it under warm water so it was soaked, then twisting and squeezing the water out. She walked back to Ggio, gently dabbing at the wounds on his right arm - for some peculiar reason, some were deeper and more narrow than others, as if some small creature had taken its claws to him. He didn't wake up just yet, and Soifon was grateful. She flushed at the thought of what would happen if he - or anyone else for that matter - witnessed this.

She hoped that he'd stay asleep through the whole ordeal but once she busied herself with cleaning his left arm his eyes flickered open and he regarded her blearily. "Wha... Wuzzgoinon...?"

She gave a start, almost darting back but continued dabbing at his wounds. His eyes were clouded and he seemed half asleep.

"Wha're you doing...?" He raised a bandaged, patched up arm to his forehead. "Huh?"

"Shut up," Soifon muttered, lifting his other arm and bandaging it. Again, there were several scratches as if from a small cat, but she didn't think Kuro had done them. They looked longer and deeper than the kitten's little claws, and looked more vicious while the others looked like scrapes and grazes. Ggio looked blankly down at them, raising an arm to pick up a finely-wrapped plait, to the mild annoyance of Soifon. He examined it then dropped it absently, closing his arms again, wincing as he shuffled himself to the right slightly and his back and ribs flared up again. Soifon had noticed, and asked, "Was there anything else?"

"I think," Ggio began sluggishly as became more coherent, scrunching his brows together, "My right side and back... I hit the tree pretty hard..." he trailed off, unable to recall the exact details of anything further that may have occurred. Soifon looked fairly dismayed at the idea of him being flung through the air to land against a tree, and he cracked a faint smile. One of Barragan's cronies might have done it. "Wait what are you doing?" His voice rose as she raised her hands as if to strike him. Even Kuro started mewling.

"You'll see," came the reply. Soifon felt the warmth of healing Kido envelope her hands, and there was a faint green glow. Ggio leaned back against the wall as slowly, the pain faded, leaving him with only dazedness. The glow slowly disappeared also, and Soifon clasped her hands together, breathing deeply. Healing Kido wasn't the easiest to master, and it was easier for those Squad Four seated officers than it was for her, as she'd learned the basics and never indulged more in the subject.

Ggio blinked to clear his eyes, glancing up at her. "I have one question..." he said slowly, the gears in his mind gradually whirring to life, "Why?"

Soifon was taken aback by the question. Sure, she'd patched him up, but why? She wasn't sure herself of why she'd done this. "I..." she faltered. Ggio's lips curved upwards into a half-smile and he lifted his arm as Kuro wriggled under it again. They sat, staring at anything other than each other, and Soifon began, "Well... I have somewhere to go now..." She stood up and exited, shutting the door silently behind her. There was a soft click.

Ggio glanced blankly at the kitten curled under his arm, completely oblivious. "Why indeed?"

There was silence as Kuro just blinked up at him.

Ggio sighed. "Maybe it was just a whim."

"Miarr," the kitten agreed.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Whoo finally finished rewriting this, along with a couple extra chapters to help the plotline and kill Mayuri. *bursts into tears again***

Lost and Found

Soifon kept echoing the question in her head, even as she stormed through the barracks in a hurry. She'd checked to see him fast asleep with Kuro sitting on his head, both of them with peaceful expressions. Kuro's tail was hanging in his face. She, who could usually answer any question truthfully and honestly, be it an intellectual question or a personal one, found that she couldn't answer this one, even to herself where no one could hear.

Faces melded together into one blurred scenery with the background as she dazedly made her way outside. Pausing, thinking that something had slipped her mind, she rushed back inside quickly much to the confusion of one of her subordinates, leaving them bamboozled with the dazed, blank expression on her face. Completely out of character. Shrugging, the man turned away to go about his normal life.

She almost burst through the doors of her office when she remembered the curled up form in the corner, arms still bandaged with a kitten on his face. He grumbled something, spooking her for a moment, and she crept over to her desk to get her Soul Pager, a smart-looking black model with a tiny black cat decoration. She _knew _she'd forgotten something in her haste. As she searched, she wished she could speed things up but she took her time not to disturb Ggio, who was sleeping on the floor. Privately, she wondered how someone could sleep so peacefully on the cold hard wood; she herself had done it many times in training and minor missions, but it still bothered her when someone else did it. Or maybe he was used to it since he was a hollow. Hell, there was a freaking _couch _in the other corner of the room but he wasn't bothered to pick his ass up and move.

This ran through her mind, along with _why _as she opened shelves and rummaged through them, cursing the spare pieces of paper and scraps of rubbish. She really should clean out her place, but first, her Soul Pager. She lifted piles of paperwork and boxes, looked past her black cat figurines. She swore she had left it on her desk when patching the Arrancar up, but it wasn't there. She _remembered _it laying right in the middle of the wooden surface. it wasn't that round; it could have hardly rolled off, and the desk wasn't slanted, nor was it on the floor as she had checked.

Frustrated, she walked out of the room, wondering if she'd left it somewhere before she'd encountered Ggio's battered form outside her door. She still wondered why he'd dragged himself there while injured but not onto the couch when he was fixed up. Oh well. Her memory mustn't be as good as it was before, but she wasn't even that old. If Kyoraku could remember which secret hiding place he'd hidden his special sake, she'd be damned if she couldn't remember where she'd misplaced her Soul Pager.

The door closed, and Ggio cracked open an eye, smirking to himself. Hidden behind his arm was Soifon's Soul Pager. He'd gotten a pretty good look at Omaeda's (it was silver; a constant reminder of how rich and extravagant he and his family were), and knew that this sleek black model was Soifon's. Prying the dozing Kuro off him, he scooped the kitten up and laid him down in the basket. His hair smelt of kitten now. It wouldn't have been an unpleasant smell if Kuro hadn't left to go to the toilet a while ago before parking his hindquarters on Ggio's face. Wrinkling his nose, he sat up, eyeing the Soul Pager - or phone, seeing as that was what it resembled.

It was of big importance to Soifon. He could tell, from the way she'd searched every nook and cranny, sooner or later every crook and nanny, for it. He mused, the longer she was without it, the more grateful she'd be when she finally got it back, assuming she never found out he was the one who had taken it.

A little dirty, hurtful maybe, but effective nonetheless.

-::-

Soifon was growing more and more worried by the minute. Maybe more worried by the second. What if she received an urgent message? Sometimes Jigokuchō needed a break, seeing as they were creatures, not living of course, since it was in Soul Society - ah forget it. It was hard to explain this, even to herself. The concept of life and death itself was confusing, and everyone was caught in a never-ending loop.

Soifon leaped around the rooftops of Seireitei, dread increasing at the trouble she'd be in if the Captain Commander realized that a captain had forgotten their Soul pager and lost it somewhere, or worse, gotten it stolen. It was a serious offence. If it was an unseated Shinigami who'd lost it - fine. A seated Shinigami? Less fine. It grew more and more serious as the ranks grew higher. Soul Society forbid if the Captain Commander ever lost his, but judging from his age, tendency to already forget things, and occasional dozing off, it wouldn't be surprising if he left it in his office and forgotten about it.

"Hey!" Ah, look who'd joined her. She paused, landing soundlessly on the roof of some insignificant building. Ggio dropped down beside her, albeit less silently. "Whatcha doing?"

She was slightly annoyed as she answered, "Looking for my Soul Pager. I think I dropped it somewhere and didn't realize it." She turned away, angling her head to glance at the Shinigami below her.

Ggio gave a low whistle. "Clumsy, aren't we?"

The glare she shot at him was enough to make him stiffen and shut up.

She just sighed. "It might have fallen out of my pocket or something when I was leaping around... Mmph." She disappeared with the use of Shunpo, and Ggio was ready, landing next to her with a soft buzz. "Why are you following me?"

"I want to help," he replied earnestly, "After you bothered to heal me."

This brought forth a faint tinge of red to her cheeks, and she turned away, muttering, "It was nothing. You're a member of the division."

Ggio hadn't missed it. Sticking his hands in his own pockets - checking to see if her Soul Pager hadn't fallen out like she despaired it had done with hers - he pursed his lips. Finally, he said simply, "We better find it."

Soifon snorted. "No shit." Her eyes darted nervously from side to side, and she fidgeted with her sleeves, and Ggio realized with a pang he had misjudged how worried she was. She was more concerned about it than she let on, another trait he recognized in himself. Although she hid it with a mask of no-nonsense bitch face, which he had witnessed quiet a few times, he masked it with a crooked half-smile and impertinent jokes. Both were... surprisingly effective.

Ggio blinked. "Come on, let's go. Where have you been today?"

Soifon was nonplussed that he actually cared enough to stick around. Was this what friends did? Usually at the Shinigami Women's Association meetings they did nonsense that Rangiku and Yachiru thought up, occasionally sensible stuff when Nanao actually asserted her opinion, and she was left hanging around and trying to fit in awkwardly. Yes, she decided, this was what friends did. "I just wandered around Seireitei when I had free time, since I didn't need to deliver anything."

"Mhm..." Ggio stroked his chin with the air of a detective with a lifetime's worth of experience, "How did you travel?"

"Jumping around like a crazed monkey. I have to find it!" She tapped her foot anxiously.

"Okay then."

Without waiting for him, she hopped effortlessly from building to building, scanning the ground for any abandoned Soul Pager - Soul Society forbid it would be broken or stolen - and landed a distance away, Ggio on another building, looking for it as well. They scoured the area of Seireitei, until Ggio caught up with her. "Couldn't find it," he huffed, looking disgruntled.

Soifon drummed her fingers on the hilt of Suzumebachi. "Maybe try somewhere else." Without a warning, they both disappeared.

-::-

Soifon twisted her sleeves in her hands as her dread grew. Neither of them had found it. She could be fined a lot for this offence, and it would take a large chunk out of the division pay. The squad wouldn't get their earnings. That's how serious it was. She didn't want to deprive her subordinates of what pay they deserved for simple tasks like Konso and less simple tasks like killing hollows. It had happened quite a few times in the past, and the squads had almost gone on strike with less pay, and working overtime only to realize that wouldn't earn them any more.

Ggio noticed the worry in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find it," he reassured her. Soifon almost recoiled at the touch, glanced at him blankly, barely aware that her shoulder still tingled long after he had flown off. She was beginning to brace herself for the Captain Commander's wrath at such a simple mistake as the day dragged on into the night, and they still hadn't found it. She was also worried about the looks on her squad members' faces when she told them the news.

Ggio swore they searched all of Seireitei before the sun went down and it actually turned dark. Soifon was pale, and she kept drumming her fingers against any available surface, something Ggio noted to be a sign of stress and anxiety when she just wouldn't stop. Ggio's guilt slowly grew. She disappeared wordlessly, and Ggio checked inside his pockets - and froze.

He checked again. The Soul Pager wasn't there. Only empty fabric. In a panic, he floated in the air, checking his pockets frantically. Soifon was gone by now, but if she knew what he'd done, and that he was the one who really lost it... Ggio began to despair. He scoured the area, moving quickly with Sonido once he was done walking and looking in every potential hiding place, scanning the ground for any smashed black flip phones. At least he hoped it wasn't smashed.

He couldn't find it. He passed several of the dozing Gatekeepers, careful not to wake them. He could easily be mistaken for a Ryoka or a thief; basically any lowly sneak who wanted to do Seireitei harm. He hopped around the circular, organized city, snaps and buzzing sounds in his wake, but still couldn't find it. He snorted. As if it would be easy to find. How had he thought it would have been lying in the open?

Maybe some crows stole it, however unlikely that was. They did like shiny things. Maybe someone had picked it up and turned it in, but that wouldn't have been much better than losing it forever, he realized, his dread growing. She'd still get in trouble either way, and it would be his fault. Smacking his head again and again, he cursed. Why had he even gotten that crazy, stupid idea? He hadn't realized the consequences until she'd told him. Think first, act second. Yeah, he wasn't exactly good at that. "Fuck, _fuck, FUCK,_" he snarled to himself.

The moon was high in the air, a pale, round orb that glowed and bathed the city in cold moonlight. Stars glimmered. Only a few lights in the buildings were on, most of them were off as people needed sleep. But Ggio was used to keeping awake until the early hours in the morning, an old habit of his. Scanning the area once more, he sighed, cursed once more and disappeared, going back to his room in a cold panic.

Moonlight filtered in through the window, patches of white on the floor. The Gigai was propped up motionless against the wall, an unmoving gray form resembling a humanoid shape without hair or a face. But it still seemed to stare at Ggio accusingly - despite the fact the thing didn't even have _eyes _\- and he glared at it. "What are you staring at?" he demanded in a low hiss.

The Gigai was unresponsive, just a life-size doll to harbour his soul in the Human World. It was probably taller than him, he thought grumpily, and would shrink to resemble him. Ggio crouched, hunched on his bed, luminous ochre eyes glowing in the darkness. He wondered if Soifon was fine. Last time he checked, she had trouble with all her bottled-up emotions. Once they became more familiar, she started expressing herself more, but still something bothered her at night, he guessed.

Ggio was right, in a way. Soifon was pacing, unable to sleep, worried out of her mind. She might have gotten a heap of messages from her subordinates when they were in the Human World taking care of Plus souls and Hollows, and unable to send a Jigokucho butterfly. Someone might have been dying, and she was unable to send help. How clumsy she'd been, having lost something as important as a Soul Pager. Even though it resembled the Human World phones - older models of course - their ones were far more important than theirs. Soul Pagers could mean the difference between life and death for a Shinigami facing enemies, and even though this happened to humans often, it wasn't everyday they were attacked by mindless monsters while rescuing someone or freeing someone's soul. It happened to piles of Shinigami every day as a part of their duties.

And her own squad members were highly trained in assassination, so they had the more skilled hollows. The fast ones of course, but there were still risks. And performing Konso on a chained spirit... If no one reached them fast enough, they would become a Hollow, a mindless monster bent on devouring their own family and loved ones, ad then after that innocent souls. Soifon felt a pang of guilt for all the hollows; they were only this way because the Shinigami had failed. Failed in their attempt to set the Plus souls free and send them to Soul Society. If they did their job perfectly, there would be no Hollows... But then again it wasn't possible. It was impossible to just have "no hollows", seeing as a few Hollows were pure-born; meaning they didn't transform from a chained Plus, they were birthed by a mother Hollow and sent straight into the Adjuchas form with no way of regressing, but it was possible for them to ascend to Vasto Lorde. They were rare, as female hollows were rare... And the mating ritual for hollows was unknown, and Szayel was too uncomfortable to share details.

Funny how one thought can lead to another, and then you think about something completely different. Soifon had almost forgotten about her missing Soul Pager, and then wondered how she'd gone from thinking about a Soul Pager to the birth of pure-born hollows. She briefly wondered where Ggio had his hollow hole, as usually it was visible, revealed by the Arrancar uniform. Arrancar such as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow displayed their hollow holes, and others like Nnoitra enjoyed playing the dramatic reveal card.

She huffed and rubbed her eyes. She'd look for it tomorrow, hoping it wasn't broken or stolen.

-::-

It was odd. Soifon had a dreamless sleep last night; the four or five hours she was asleep she didn't dream of anything. Suzumebachi was very pleased, and wouldn't shut up about it. _'Yeah, I know you lost your Soul Pager but at least you didn't get tortured by nightmares!' _She could almost imagine Suzumebachi flying around in figure-eights in their inner world. _'And he's nice enough to help!' _Suzumebachi materialized, hovering in front of her face. She batted her eyelashes cheekily. _'You sure you don't have any...' _She flitted closer. _'Feelings...?'_

She flew away cackling wildly as she dodged an halfhearted, open-handed swipe from Soifon, and faded away. Soifon wrinkled her nose, closing her eyes tightly. Ggio had been in her squad for what, a couple of months now? There was no way she could fall for someone she hadn't known for very long, nor could she fall for an _Arrancar_. Suzumebachi had been foolish and teasing when she had claimed Soifon returned the feelings Ggio appeared to be showing to her. She wasn't sure if he was fooling around or not, and she was cautious. For all she knew, he might have just been toying with her. Ha. There was no way that would work.

Suzumebachi had been wrong, Soifon decided, Ggio was only helping because she'd healed him after whatever had happened to him, because she supposed that's what friends did. _'Friends,' _Suzumebachi echoed in her head, and her tone was very doubtful of Soifon's adamant refusal to accept what Suzumebachi had presumed the start of a "wonderful relationship', as the small pixie called it.

Damn it, she wasn't some swoony human high school girl. She did _not _need some guy to sweep her off her feet. She was perfectly fine walking by herself, thank you. She changed into her shihakusho, her Onmitsukidō Corps Commander uniform underneath, and donning her haori over it. She staggered out of the office, fastening her yellow sash, still sliding her feet into her shoes, forgotten in her haste.

She stalked out and into her office, planning to write a note to notify Omaeda that she wouldn't be in office, sliding the door open, and was met with an astonishing sight. "You found it?!"

-::-

Oh the things Ggio would do for approval. He tracked down an unseated officer, a scrawny little boy even shorter than he was, since he had spotted Soifon's unmistakable Soul Pager. Who else would have a yellow-eyed, black-furred cat on a small key-ring on it? A bee sticker stuck on the back, and seemingly hard to get off. He stalked the boy, staying silent and hidden in the shadows, not making a single sound. The boy was easy enough to follow at least, with a mop of pale blond hair.

Many a time the boy turned around to look, but Ggio was never there, instead hiding in some ingenious place; one of which had been in the midst of a crowd of Shinigami when hiding places were scarce. He had also made sure to be seen by as few others as possible. Thankfully, the phone was not broken, but the unseated Shinigami seemed on edge and paranoid, as if he didn't want anyone to notice he had the Soul Pager of a captain, and one of the more fearsome captains.

It would have been easier had he not been surrounded by others, and if the black phone wasn't in his hand. Ggio had followed him into the Squad Eight barracks, where the boy had breathed a sigh of relief and put it in his pocket. Ggio cracked his knuckles. If there was one thing he was good at, it was pick-pocketing from others; although there wasn't exactly much to steal in Hueco Mundo, there were valuable rocks, and small scraps of food that wasn't hollow and not some form of tea. The window was open, a curtain blew on the boy's head and Ggio froze, not daring to breathe, lest the boy notice him. The Shinigami just shrugged and continued on his way.

He followed the boy into what seemed to be a kitchen. Climbing noiselessly onto a shelf, he hid in the shadow, for once glad that he wasn't as tall or bulky as his fellow Fracciones. He waited until the boy was close enough, then reached down... A sudden movement forced him to recoil and hide as the boy spun around, thinking that there was an attacker behind him. Ggio held his breath as the boy shrugged and took out the Soul Pager, placing it on the counter. He thought he was safe, Ggio thought with a mental snicker, as the boy went into another room. Fearing that this might be his only chance, Ggio pounced, snatched up the phone-looking thing and rolled out of the room, scrambling to the same open window and leaping through it. He then made his escape, chuckling at what might have happened to the boy once he came back and realized.

Suddenly he realized the lieutenant was approaching. He swore under his breath and leaped onto the roof, cowering. The reason? She looked pissed. Very pissed.

Ise Nanao heard a few creaks and turned around suspiciously. Was this another thief? She was disgruntled as the thief had taken a few of her favourite books. She was so fearsome that even her captain had drawn away a bit, but that was probably just because his sake was missing. Her eyes were blazing as she looked around, and even Ggoio was terrified when he peered through the branches of the thick tree, careful not to make a sound that would incite her wrath. She looked around, then slowly took off her glasses, and the glare in which she looked around was enough to terrify Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Of course Ggio found it scary. Finally she huffed and walked inside, and he made it a few steps before he collapsed onto the ground.

-::-

Soifon breathed a huge sigh of relief and went to take it from him with trembling hands. "Thanks," she mumbled, fumbling in her haste to check what messages were on it. Luckily, none of her ninjas or squad members had fatal injuries, and they all seemed to be fine, just reporting on how they'd done. They governed over a different Human World city; Squad Thirteen took charge of Karakura and Squad Ten took charge of Naruki. "Thank you," she repeated.

Ggio nodded, still shaken up from that frightening encounter with Lieutenant Ise. Soifon pocketed the phone and, without thinking, leaned over and hugged Ggio briefly, her heart hammering in her chest, and withdrew herself. Slowly reddening, she disappeared through the open door with Shunpo, the door swinging in her wake. Ggio was standing stunned in the middle of the empty room, unable to process what had just happened. Maybe he had misjudged how much she minded losing it, and it had shaken her up pretty badly for whatever reason. She usually hated physical contact unless she was beating an opponent up, and even then she preferred to win with a minimum of touches. And she had taken it upon herself to give him a grateful hug, despite her dislike of hugs.

Suddenly he didn't regret taking the Soul Pager any more, and he would soon successfully be able to saunter up to Barragan, proclaiming that his mission was accomplished.


	17. Chapter 17

Sunshine, rainbows and abduction

"Nanao-chaaaan," Shunsui sang out cheerfully. He swung past the doorframe, taking off his hat and tipping it. His flowery pink kimono draped over his shoulders flapped about, and he was quickly silenced by Nanao, who smacked him over the head with a clipboard.

It had been a week since the Kurotsuchi incident, and it had been announced to the whole of Seireitei that due to treason he had been discharged, but only the Gotei 13 squad captains and lieutenants, and a few seated officers knew the entire truth.

"Oh, be quiet captain," Nanao snapped, rearranging her paperwork so that it was more orderly. Shunsui just gripped his straw hat in two hands and looked down at her with puppy eyes. "Don't look at me like that, for Kami's sake."

Shunsui pouted. "Don't you usually call me Shunsui when we are alone?"

Nanao turned pink. "D-don't mention that - not here!" she stuttered wildly. "People might overhear!"

"Is that such a bad thing, Nanao-chan?" he asked, sidling over to her. He popped the hat atop her head and took her hand, Nanao's face slowly turning redder and redder. He swung her around and began trying to get her to dance.

"Ca-captain are you drunk again?" she asked, her voice taking on an embarrassed stammer.

"Nope!" Shunsui declared cheerfully. "Completely sober!" Nanao narrowed her eyes.

"W-we have t-to go see..." she trailed off, her previous statement being lost in a river of protests, but she didn't attempt to escape, even though Shunsui wasn't being forceful. More like playful, but he would let her go if she wished it.

The hat flopped over her eyes and she reached up to adjust it before being twirled and pulled close by Shunsui, her chest heaving and cheeks flushed. She had to admit, as boisterous as he was she was enjoying this. But only a bit. And she was _not_ going to admit it to him!

"You sure you're not drunk?" she asked dryly as they waltzed around the office to no music, dancing more and more vigorously. She yelped as he lifted her into the air and caught her again.

"Well, maybe a bit," he admitted sheepishly, "But not that much!" The door opened and Nanao froze.

"Nice to see you two are enjoying the peace and sunshine," Jushiro remarked wryly, "heavy flirting and all."

"Indeed," Unohana smiled. "And now it's time for the picnic!" She brandished a large basket in front of her. "Now, where should we go?" she asked.

They considered for a moment, choosing between Sokyoku Hill, the Ukitake Estate and the Kyoraku Estate, finally settling for the lush green gardens of Shunsui's family home.

Moments later, they were seated on the grass of the gardens of the Kyoraku Estate. Nanao picked at the contents of her bento box. "W-what do you think of... of the Kurotsuchi incident?" she asked hesitantly, reluctant to disrupt the content mood, but it had been bothering her for quite a while.

Unohana paused in dabbing at her mouth with a cloth. "Maybe it was for the best Szayel-san killed him," she said gently.

Jushiro sighed. "I simply cannot imagine how long he has been doing this," he lamented, "and to think - he did all that right under our noses! Without us noticing!"

Shunsui took a bite out of his mochi, chewed for a bit and swallowed before giving an even longer sigh than Jushiro did. "Perhaps... we didn't pay enough attention to what he was actually doing," he murmured. "Maybe we didn't want to think that - that one of our own would commit such despicable crimes."

There was silence after that while they took time to evaluate his words. There was truth in them, Unohana supposed. But she had a question on her mind as well. "And... what of the atrocities he has committed against Nemu-san?" she asked. "She never told anyone? I simply cannot believe he has been doing this to her."

"He threatened her to keep her quiet and emotionless... She was dismantled and injected with poisons that would have rendered another being dead or physically unfit to continue serving as an officer of the Gotei 13," Jushiro said quietly. "But due to being forged and created, not birthed or borne of a dead human - a Plus soul - her body was capable of handling it. Kurotsuchi never considered her capable of emotion or anything else and... perhaps that was his undoing."

Shunsui coughed. "What are we doing? Talking about such gloomy topics in this weather." He spread his arms and Nanao noticed he was holding a bottle of sake in his left. "We should enjoy ourselves now! We can discuss that issue later, as well as when Yama-jii will appoint a new captain."

They all nodded and Nanao snorted. "He put off getting a new captain for the third, fifth and ninth squads for so long it was considered usual for their lieutenants to show up for the captains meetings."

Jushiro tapped his chin thoughtfully, his bento box forgotten in the conversation. "He's getting old, and his memory's not keeping up with him as he ages," he mused, then shook his hands hurriedly, "Not that I'm insinuating we should replace him!"

Unohana closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh air. "What are your thoughts on the Arrancar that joined you?" she asked. "Nel-chan has agreed to give me vials of her saliva to heal the less-serious wounds, although Szayel-san wants to see if he can modify them slightly and boost their healing powers to work miracles."

Nanao's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Her saliva has healing powers?"

Unohana nodded. "Yes. But Szayel informs me that in her original form - her true Espada form as the former Tercera - it would be multiple times stronger. We just have no way of restoring her mask." Unohana let an amused smile cross her face as she picked up a grain of rice with her chopsticks. "And her 'big brothers' certainly are lively. They are good at cheering up the more miserable patients." Her brow furrowed. "I only have no idea why they spend all their time at Squad Eleven."

"I presume Nel-chan and Yachiru-chan are good friends?" Jushiro asked.

"Most likely," Nanao nodded.

"Wha'bou'you?" Shunsui mumbled through a mouthful of rice to Jushiro, who looked amused at his friend and fellow captain's antics.

"Due to our division being a... fairly peaceful division, not many Arrancar joined," Jushiro said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Only Lindocruz-san joined and a little Hollow puppy - number 35 I think? - wanders around a lot as if waiting for someone. Kukkapuro was his name?" Jushiro thought for a moment. "Also, an Arrancar from Squad Ten keeps poking around here. A short boy that looks like a girl. Luppi-san?"

"I reckon he and Captain Hitsugaya would get along _very_ well," Nanao commented.

Shunsui chortled and was about to take a swig from his sake cup but Unohana pressed her lips together and shot him a look. "Shunsui, I think it would be better if we _didn't_ get too drunk today," she said, and Shunsui slowly placed the cup back down, a sheepish look on his face, Nanao watching him with amusement.

"Vigilant as ever, Retsu," commented Jushiro.

"Why, thank you, Jushiro." And she shot him a smile that had no violent intent behind it, making him blush slightly.

"_Now_, who's flirting?" Nanao groused good-naturedly.

-::-

"Man, I thought we were actually gonna be allowed to _do_ something!" Loly complained, tapping her foot against the rock she was currently perched on. Her chin was resting on her palm as she knelt on the rock, stabbing it violently with her dagger-like Zanpaktou Escolopendra.

Menoly, as opposed to Loly, was sitting crosslegged calmly on the white sands, fiddling rather impatiently with the pebbles. "Loly, be quiet," she muttered half-heartedly, "the plan is still in motion."

"No!" Loly snapped, tossing a long, glossy black pigtail over her shoulder, "_You_ agreed to let us free Aizen-sama!" she cried, jabbing a finger at the large figure sitting on the throne at the back of the cave. The moon shone coldly down through the mouth of the cave as she continued to rant accusingly. "You said you were rallying up Arrancar but without the damned fuckin' Hogyoku we can't make them powerful! Now we're sitting here twiddling our thumbs while the spies are probably doing the same! Who knows if they're even loyal, dammit! Your mind-control can only do so much, you - "

"Oh shut up," Barragan growled, rising from his throne. "I have several spies situated in the Human World causing trouble! And they're also collecting Hollows to send back to Hueco Mundo so they can fuse into Gillians, then Adjuchas, and then - "

"So you're basically waiting for nature to take its course," a voice said disinterestedly from another position in the cave in Hueco Mundo. Aaroniero Arruerie stood, swinging his Zanpaktou around in a bored manner. Barragan winced.

"When you put it like that..." He shook his head. "They're also keeping a close watch on the pathetic Shinigami in Karakura Town," he added hurriedly. "The Thirteenth Division. They've set up headquarters, and some of the more powerful Arrancar I have under my control are cutting the chain of fate on Plus souls to turn them into Hollows!"

"Mhm." Aaroniero gave a noncommittal grunt with his two heads in unison.

"I only hope those buffoons don't get themselves caught or anything," Barragan grumbled, half to himself. "Cuulhourne has a habit of being extremely conspicuous. I suspect he has no idea what the word 'stealth' means," and this brought on a chuckle from a few other Arrancar gathered in the cave. Even Loly gave a snort quite against her will.

"Well..." She straightened up. "I'm gonna go hunting. I can't stand another minute in the hellhole with you guys," she indicated them all. Barragan watched her saunter out in indifference; it didn't matter if she was killed or not, there was no fucking way he was going to rescue the bastard Aizen, not after that Shinigami - him and his notions of being 'Kami' be damned - had barged into _his_ palace, maimed _his_ subjects and _stole_ his kingdom! He hadn't realised where he was glaring hatefully until -

"M'lord?" Menoly asked hesitantly. "Anything wrong? You were staring at me all... angry like."

Barragan stirred and stroked his bushy white moustache. "Nothing, nothing," he said absently. Ha. He was only going to break into Muken where the bastard was imprisoned only to spite him. Perhaps he'd leave the two Arrancar wenches down there with him if they adored him that much.

-::-

The thefts had stopped somewhat a few days afterwards, much to the relief of all the squads that had been affected. Even Omaeda, who had also been stolen from, let out sighs of relief as he checked the kitchen cupboards regularly to find his precious rice crackers still there. They had been disappearing like crazy and as much as he'd hated to admit it, who in their right mind other than him would eat those? The thefts had obviously been to spite those affected as the objects stolen were pretty much useless, like Sasakibe's English flags and knock-off Britain-related souvenirs he'd gotten from the Human World. In truth, Yamamoto was rather glad they'd been stolen. He'd never really liked those things.

However, as Jushiro was very dismayed to report, several of his squad members had been disappearing like crazy, perhaps even dead. It had started after the thefts had ceased, and several suspected that the two events were related. He'd interrogated Tesla Lindocruz, who was an Arrancar recruit in his squad, but the bewildered Arrancar had strongly denied having any knowledge whatsoever of the two events. Szayel had invented a device to send messages through to Hueco Mundo, more specifically, Tia Halibel's Arrancar under her rule. It was rather expected of Jushiro to suspect Tesla; he'd been using the messaging mini-Garganta a lot lately to send and receive letters. Every time he'd gone over to Squad Twelve to collect his letters, he'd returned extremely pleased. But he was embarrassed about anyone questioning them and refused to let others read them.

Soifon was pondering these events in her office, seated cross-legged on the couch as she read what she had written on paper and ran it through her head. Several of Squad Thirteen's seated officers had gone missing, and that caused her to think that whatever or whoever was abducting them or possibly killing them off was powerful. They'd all gone missing as they patrolled Karakura Town - why did literally _everything_ have to happen there?! - so she'd heard Jushiro was going to send his more powerful officers to investigate - namely Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentarou. If the two could get along well enough to actually succeed.

-::-

"Szayel-sama! Szayel-sama!" Nemu ran up to Szayel, clutching papers in her hand.

"What is it, Nemu?" Szayel asked, his voice slightly muffled by the pen in his mouth. "Sorry, give me a minute..." Nemu patiently waited for him to finish scribbling something down before speaking up.

"Luppi-san has let me pull some experiments on him and his Zanpaktou," she gestured the the little, childish-looking Arrancar who was poking and prodding around the lab; scientists were keeping a close eye on him to make sure that he wouldn't destroy anything or tip over any test tubes, "and I've discovered something." She paused and took a breath, eyes shining. "Arrancar Zanpaktou are perfectly capable of performing Konso!"

Szayel's mouth fell open. "You're kidding me..." he breathed.

Nemu shook her head triumphantly, and several of the scientists fainted because it was so unnerving to see her show any emotion - she had never done it before and the notion of a smile on her usually placid features was too much to handle. "The Arrancar have never tried before. I'm not sure about naturally-generated Arrancar since I've never come int contact with one, but the Shinigami side of an artificially-created Arrancar is able to perform Konso and purify average Hollows - as I've discovered simply by accident."

Szayel beamed. "Nemu, you're a _genius_!" he cried. "I simply cannot believe it..."

Nemu blushed. "Well, you discovered that Arrancar and average Hollows are now a separate species, and I wondered if this theory was true, about Arrancar being able to purify."

"Usually when an Arrancar encounters a Hollow they usually eat it," Szayel mused. This brought an amused smile to Nemu's face.

They spent the next half hour organizing the files and typing it up, putting it in an orderly fashion. Nemu informed the Head Captain and all the other captains about this who, in turn, told the Arrancar. Arrancar now had more purpose, because at first they hadn't thought about what they could do that would merit Soul Society, but now they had confirmation that they could do more or less the same duties as Shinigami.

A starter Soul Pager was then mailed to every Arrancar. Usually they were used for communication between Shinigami on missions, and it usually happened between Soul Society and the Human World. Arrancar wouldn't usually have to go the Human World - it wasn't as if there was anything for them to accomplish there - but now they could go and aid the city their Squad resided over. And maybe because it had simply slipped everones' minds about Soul Pagers. Nemu was mildly worried about them using it like Rangiku to send texts and chat about useless and not-so-useless topics, but then decided it wouldn't be a problem.

-::-

A couple of days passed and Karin and Ururu had arrived back in Karakura. They took a cab back to their apartment, and set their bags down. "Man, that was a long trip," Karin grunted. Their apartment was small and cozy, but not necessarily tidy, but due to their being away they had to clean it up. Karin immediately collapsed onto the couch and flipped open her phone, dialling her sister. "Yo, Yuzu?"

_"KARIN-CHAN!" _her sister's voice exploded from the phone._"Are you back yet? Are you okay? You're not hurt, right? How's Ururu-chan? Wh - "_

"I'm fine!" Karin interrupted, cutting Yuzu off. She rested her feet on the coffee table, listening as her girlfriend mumbled incoherently to herself and boiled tea. "How are you? Wanna come over?"

_"Oh, I'm fine, really. Hold on, I'm coming over right away!" _Yuzu hung up, and Karin sighed. Typical of her sister. Yuzu might have been a bit of a... softie when they were kids, but she had definitely toughened up. She was still sweet and absolutely adorable, but could appear terrifying at times and act like a dragon when she wanted to. Ururu set two cups down on the table next to Karin's boots, shot her a look and sat down beside her.

"Thanks, Ururu," Karin said, taking a cup. "I'm guessing Yuzu will be here in..." She checked her watch. "Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six..."

"Five... Four... Three... Two... One..." Ururu counted down on her fingers. The doorbell rang. Karin jumped up to open the door and was barrelled over in a bear-hug from an over-excited Yuzu.

"Oh, Karin-chan!" she squealed, then dragged her over to where Ururu was sitting, "Ururu-chan!" The two were both wrapped in a hug, eyes bulging. "I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

Jinta walked in after her, digging around in his ear with his pinkie. "Nice to see you too," he said, then gave a yell as he too was pulled into a hug by Yuzu. "Oof!"

Yuzu finally let go and held Karin at arm's length, studying her. "Wow, Karin, it's been quite a while!" She reached over and flicked a lock of hair out of place. "You both look so different!" she declared, dragging a silently-escaping Ururu over. The two young women had grown taller, but Karin towered over them both, having hit a growth spurt late in junior high. She kept her hair tied up in a ponytail with bangs framing her face. Ururu was shorter, but still taller than Karin's fraternal twin, her own dark hair untied. She'd lost the morose expression, but she'd kept her bangs as they were, prompting a comment of 'cockroach bangs' from Jinta. Yuzu flicked his head.

"So, as we all know, in eleven days it will be Nii-chan's birthday!" Yuzu said ominously. Then she leaned over to Jinta and whispered something into his ear which neither Ururu or Karin could catch. "Do you think we should let them in on the party plan?"

"I don't see why not," Jinta shrugged, and Yuzu turned back to them happily.

"We're planning a super surprise party at Urahara-san's place!"

Ururu sighed. "Boss's place? I thought he was usually stingy!"

"Apparently not," Karin remarked. She and Ururu had a hurried discussion on this and then turned to face Yuzu. "We're in," they chorused.

* * *

**Sorry about shitty writing, but kinda unmotivated. :'U Also just realised no GgioSoi communication in this chapter. heh.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I had nothing to do on this cruise ship for days other than watch shitty cartoons and sleep... So I bring you this chapter! N-not that you wouldn't have gotten it, I just got it half-written and later finished earlier, otherwise it would have been a few days! Ahem, I'll shut up the story, I think it is currently July 5?**

To Adventure!

"Captain Ukitake!" a panicked Shinigami man called, "Come quickly!"

"What is it?" Jushiro asked worriedly, making his way over to the Senkaimon. They rushed over, shihakusho flapping as they ran, and Jushiro gasped and tapped the Shinigami on the shoulder. "Find Retsu quickly. Captain Unohana. Go!" he cried, and his unseated officer nodded and disappeared with Shunpo. "Oh dear... Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

Before him lay the horribly maimed bodies of Kiyone and Sentarou, chests heaving in an attempt to breathe and barely even conscious.

Unohana bent over them, her brow creased in concentration. They were now at the Squad Four barracks, in the emergency ward. Jushiro's two third-seats lay on stretchers in front of a worried Unohana Retsu, her sleeves rolled up and hands hovering over them. She murmured several things under her breath and the warm, comforting aura of healing Kido enveloped their hands. Jushiro watched on anxiously as their wounds disappeared under a blue-green light.

They both bore several gashes, cuts and bruises. Sentarou's back was a shredded mess of black and blue, the skin around the cuts red and raw. There was also a slice on his chest, missing his throat narrowly. He also had broken limbs due to being beaten and thrown around. Kiyone's injuries were less severe; she had less bruises and cuts but she had been dealt a blow to her head and several bones were broken. Unohana looked up at Jushiro worriedly, but decidedly less than before she'd examined them and healed them somewhat. "They'll live," she said, "but they'll be stuck here for quite a while."

"I should have never sent them out!" Jushiro lamented, jamming his palm into his forehead, "I should have gone myself!"

Unohana laid a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't your fault," she told him sternly, "you never had any idea how strong these enemies were. None of us did. So there."

Slowly, under intensive care, they were in better condition. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that Sentarou had been dealt blows that had caused internal bleeding. But his back had healed. Kiyone was awake, in far better condition, and extremely worried and guilty.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, hobbling over to him, "I should have stayed!" Her wrist had been shattered and her ankle broken, as well as her shoulder. The worst of the injuries had been healed but she still has to remain in a cast with crutches. Jushiro steadied her but she fought past to go to Sentarou's bedside. "It's all my fault!" she whimpered.

"What happened?" Unohana said gently, laying a hand on her head in a comforting gesture.

"We were ambushed," Kiyone explained, slowly and shakily at first but her voice growing steadier, "I think it was rogue Arrancar. Not part of Aizen's army," she added hurriedly, "But ones not created by the Hogyoku. Naturally-born Arrancar, though they still had visible holes. They snuck up on us and we tried to hold them off b-but..." She swallowed, "I got captured!" she wailed, "And Sentarou kicked me out of the way before they could kill me, bu-but he... he..." And she broke down, with muffled cries of "All my fault!"

Unohana was very concerned. "I'm sorry to bother you," she murmured, an arm wrapped comfortingly around the girl's shoulders, leading her back to her own bed, "But did you discover anything?"

Kiyone nodded and wiped her eyes. "I think we wandered a little too close to their base," she mumbled, sniffing. "Maybe that's why. There were tons of them. Big and small, the one that beat Sentarou up was big and burly and looked like a goat," she said.

"Where was it?" Jushiro asked, helping Kiyone up.

"A-around th-the abandoned part of town," Kiyone sniffled. "We detected faint Reiatsu b-but that didn't prepare us for the sheer numbers of Arrancar there!"

They left her there to her own devices, Kiyone mumbling absently as she dozed off. Jushiro exhaled shakily. "So we need stealth and strength," he said to Unohana. "Lest they are discovered and killed."

"Do you think that..." Unohana began hesitantly, "Maybe Captain Soifon? Do you think she would be capable enough?"

"Maybe," Jushiro mused, "But perhaps she would require assistance. Teamwork is crucial. The problem with the other Shinigami is that they were alone. Kiyone and Sentarou only got away because Sentarou took the full brunt of the blow and Kiyone had the brains to open up a Senkaimon before they both died. But they were only third seats," Jushiro faltered. "They were good third seats but I don't think only one captain is enough, however stealthy."

"Brute strength is needed then," Unohana said thoughtfully. "Maybe we could get some of the Espada to. They seem more knowledgable about their own kind than we do," she said sheepishly. "And they're powerful too."

"And we can count on Captain Soifon to keep them in line," Jushiro said, eyes twinkling.

"Indeed," Unohana said, smiling. Now they had a plan. Somewhat.

-::-

Soifon was idly sketching a cat on a piece of parchment for lack of anything better to do. Ggio was sitting on the couch, reading an article on cats. He'd never actually asked to borrow it, but he wasn't aware that she wasn't working either. It was irritating with his presence around, especially since... well.. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she recalled the incident, and she finished her cat sketch with two fangs protruding from its mouth. Huh. She couldn't exactly say it was good, but she'd improved ever since she'd drawn the rather ugly-looking black cat on their recruitment brochure above Omaeda's ugly caricature of himself. He didn't exactly have drawing skills either, but she revelled in the triumph of knowing he couldn't draw better cats.

She was knocked out of her reverie by a knock on the door, and passed Ggio, who didn't even stir, as she Shunpo'd to the door to open it. He was growing accustomed to her running everywhere silently with no warning. "Captain Soifon!" It was a messenger, one of the Riteitai. "I come bearing an urgent message," he said sombrely, handing her a formal-looking scroll.

"Thank you," she said, closing the door as the messenger disappeared in a flash. She walked back over to her desk, unsealing it and unrolling it to read it. As she did, her eyes widened and she drew in breath, quietly, but Ggio heard it all the same. He dropped the book onto the couch and leaned over the side to see.

"What is it?"

"We are requested on a mission." He came closer and read it himself. Two Third-Seats were horribly injured by a group of rogue, unknown Arrancar residing in the Human World, and they were needed, as well as two Espada. They were to go see Szayel for replacement Gikongan - Soul Pills - and then meet the two Espada by the Senkaimon in the evening. It was a stealth mission and they hoped she could keep the Arrancar in line, for they were more knowledgeable about their own kind than she was, but she exerted an amount of authority. They were to be staying with Urahara Kisuke for at most four days - he, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Shihoin Yoruichi were already informed - and that was it.

Soifon almost dropped into her seat at the last snippets of information. _Staying with Urahara_. Her worst nightmare. There was no way in hell she was staying at his ratty little shop, but Yamamoto had dictated it. Ggio didn't seem too displeased, apart from the fact that Hollow repellent still worked on Arrancar and the store section of his home disgusted him. And he also seemed a little mad. Soifon didn't seem to happy when he mentioned that Yoruichi was intimidating and he'd rather steer clear of her, but seemed satisfied when he'd listed the downsides of staying in the Urahara Shoten.

"Well, we better visit Szayel," Ggio said. "I don't know what the deal is with the Soul Pill but okay. Wait, maybe he's one of the Espada coming with us, since he's so 'knowledgeable' on Arrancar!"

"When you're done yakking, we will." But it seemed that Szayel was _not _one of the Espada they would be travelling with.

"I am certainly not!" They'd gone to visit the scientist, but Szayel claimed not to be going with them. "As much as it pains me to say this, fighting was never one of my good points. I am merely a scientist, a dashing genius," Ggio started hacking and coughing loudly at this, "and very observant. I used science and trickery!" Szayel paused in rummaging through the drawers of his desk and deflated. "I only beat Kurotsuchi because he wasn't giving it his all," he admitted. "He was _toying _with me but that ass was far too arrogant. I never knew someone could beat Ylfordt in being a stuck-up fool but he certainly did and shattered my whole existence."

Ggio coughed loudly again, and Soifon could make out the words 'shitty attempt at a joke' through his coughing. Apparently Szayel could too, for he pursed his lips.

"I was the medic-scientist type for the Espada," he said triumphantly. "Head of the science department - hell, I was the _only _one in the so-called science department because everyone else was an idiot," he said loudly, glaring daggers at Ggio. He cleared his throat. "Well if I wasn't so smart, I would have been a-a lowly Numeros! Lower than a Fraccion!" He shuddered. "Lower than Ylfordt!" He stared wide-eyed at them. "Could you possibly imagine that?!"

"No," Soifon said flatly. "And it would be nice if you could hurry it up a bit and stop rambling."

Szayel pressed a hand to his chest. "I feel so loved," he said in a perfectly monotone voice. "Fine then," he mimicked, "I'll hurry it up." He made a show of digging through his drawers again, and Soifon could clearly hear muttered profanities and very colourful language - directed at the mess on his desk and in his drawers, along with a few oaths that he was going to clean it up.

Ggio noticed something and pointed to a small pile of Pez dispenser-looking items on the desk next to Szayel's. "Aren't you looking for those?"

"Oh sure," came the sarcastic reply, "Take one. Take two. Take as many as you need!"

"Hm..." Ggio picked one up and examined it. It was exactly the same as the one he had. His eyes narrowed. "Why are you just letting me take them all?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because they're absolute bullshit," Szayel said promptly, still digging around. "Turns out the prototype was bad but we didn't realize it. And then we gave them out, a starter pack." He paused. "Bad things'll happen to you if you consume it. Even worse than the Shinigami ones."

"What bad things?" Soifon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll explode," Szayel said simply. "We tested it on Medazeppi ad he exploded. Guts and bits flying everywhere with tons of agonized screaming." This prompted Ggio to recoil in disgust and fling the 'prototype' as far away from himself as possible. Szayel calmly watched the small, pink object fly over his head with indifference, later landing on a short, brown-haired Shinigami's head. Probably Rin. He then turned back to them, brandishing a different model. "This is the good one!" he crowed. "We tested it on Lumina and it worked!"

The new model was a paler shade of pink with the same little cartoonish skull design, except now with ram horns curling around to face the front. "Say hello to Cranea-chan! The new-and-improved Hollow version!" Szayel cleared his throat. "Nel seemed to recall some of her former appearance - well, her mask at least - and Yachiru decided on dedicating it to Nel!"

"Cute." Soifon examined the thing as it was handed over to Ggio. "So, when were you deciding to inform your fellow Arrancar you handed them faulty equipment that will make them explode?" she asked bluntly. Szayel rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well I was slightly hoping that they'd accidentally consume it and explode..." He trailed off. Then he burst, "I've already informed them, but Grimmjow and Nnoitra are such jerks! Ulqiorra was _the most _condescending, stony-faced bastard and Nnoitra was the most _ungrateful _asshole - "

They left him to his rambling as Nemu arrived and told them that it was normal, then proceeded to drag him away with an exasperated expression. Soifon was unnerved that Nemu was capable of such emotion. Ggio, who wasn't familiar with either Nemu or the story, didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

-::-

"I presume I must inform you all about Privaron Espada." Barragan paced slowly in front of his assembled Arrancar, ignoring the fact a few of them were asleep or ignoring his words. Loly was carving patterns into the sand with Escolopendra and Menoly was idly watching her do it. Aaroniero was changing his head to that of different Hollows and laughing at Zommari's reaction. But their heads all perked up at Barragan's words. "I see you are interested," he rumbled. "I will educate you further on the subject."

"Man, we don't even need to go to school or whatever those humans call it." Aaroniero pouted with one unfamiliar Arrancar's face. Her already had a vague idea of what Barragan was rambling about, and it brought a scowl to his face. "Those weaklings. They didn't deserve to be Espada."

"We already know what fuckin' Privaron Espada are!" Loly shrieked. "Stop boring us with your gabbling!"

Barragan chose to ignore it. "As you may know, Privaron Espada are the former Espada, naturally formed without Aizen's damned Hogyoku. A few of them were Gillians, but most were Adjuchas. As I seem to recall, the Primera was a Vasto Lorde like Tia Halibel." He watched some of their mouths drop open and the scowl deepen on Aaroniero's borrowed face. "They were rendered obsolete when Aizen began using the Hogyoku to create artificially-created Arrancar to meet his own standards." Oh, how he hated what Aizen had done to him. Barragan was robbed of his imposing, imperial, intimidating appearance of a skeleton king to that of an elderly human king, only able to access his former appearance in his Resurreccion.

"So," Menoly bit back a yawn, "what happened to them? Why are Dordoni, Gantenbainne and Cirucci the only ones that remained?"

"I'm getting to that!" Barragan snapped. Then he composed himself. "Dordoni was the former Tercera, yes, _before _Neliel, Cirucci was the former Quinto and Gantenbainne was the former Septima," he said, seeing Zommari's head bow ever-so-slightly. "Those obsolete dingbats chose to remain in Aizen's army, when they were demoted. None too happy about that. But not as displeased as their comrades!"

Aaroniero raised his hand and said in a bored voice, "I would have been a Privaron Espada and escaped with the rest if it weren't for my awesome abilities."

"And yet you were only a Noveno," Loly sneered spitefully.

"Listen here, you little shit - "

"And!" Barragan barked. "The Primera, Segunda, Cuatro, Sexta, Septima and Octava have agreed to join us." There was a gasp.

"What about the Cero?" Menoly asked in awe. "Who was before Yammy?"

Barragan shrugged. "There were only nine, and two of them obviously refused to join me. No they are not part of my spies. Gantenbainne is situated in the Human World, along with the Octava and Sexta. They've already succeeded in beatin up a pile of puny little petty Shinigami plus two Third Seats!" Barragan exclaimed triumphantly. "I have yet to ask the Primera, Segunda and Cuatro. Wonderweiss is also with us, and he is... uh... indisposed of. Anyway, about Yammy..."

"I know!" Loly interrupted. "He's hella strong and big," the words sounded as if she was choking of acid, "but he's also big and dumb, so Aizen wasn't sure what to do with him, so he made him the last when he was just dumb, and then made him even higher-up than Starrk when he grew gigantic!"

"A fairly accurate representation, yes. Well, the Primera, Segunda and Cuatro will be here soon - "

"Why don't you just tell us their names?"

"I want them to introduce themselves," Barragan said with a wicked grin.

-::-

That night, Soifon and Ggio alighted silently at the Senkaimon, both carrying Gigai and their Soul Candies. The body bags were slightly irritating to carry, but they had been reassured that they could keep them at Urahara's place after their mission was over. Soifon didn't trust it one bit, so she declared she was going to lug it back with her rather than entrust it to Kisuke.

Ggio opened is mouth to ask who the Arrancar were, but his voice died out as it soon became clear. Ulquiorra Cifer and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez stood in front of the glowing Senkaimon, surrounded by two rows of Kido Corps members. Their robes flapped in the wind and they were both carrying their Gigai. The silhouettes of their Hollow masks were clear. Then Grimmjow ruined the dramatic image by hunching over and sneezing violently while Ulquiorra patted him on the back with a sheathed Murcielago, a slight expression of distaste on his face.

"Well, at least we know who it is now," Soifon muttered, and Ggio nodded.

"So, are you ready?" Ulquiorra asked flatly. When they both nodded, he let out a barely audible sigh. "So we're just waiting for Grimmjow at the moment." And when Grimmjow finished his sneezing fit, the four walked into the Senkaimon and disappeared into the light.

* * *

**Well I won't say that I didn't want to delay Grimm and Ulqui's appearance until later for the suspense. But whatever. Ichigo and the gang will be appearing soon.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Woop, say aye if you recognize the song name and you get a cookie if you know who it's by.**

One Hundred Sleepless Nights

A Senkaimon opened up one quiet night in Karakura Town. The circular shoji doors slid open, and out stepped four figures, the tallest towering over them and the shortest one slipping by silently to check if the coast was clear. A streetlamp flickered but it was otherwise formal, and she beckoned them over. Her three companions ceased gazing around curiously to walk over. Grimmjow yawned and scratched his head. "Now what?" he asked distractedly, his attention piqued by a discarded magazine on the ground; it had several scantily-clad women on the cover. Ulquiorra sighed and smacked him upside the head for ogling the printed human women, and he retaliated by giving the former Cuatro the dirtiest look he could muster but otherwise said nothing.

"Now we go to that idiot Urahara's place," Soifon muttered. She led them down the road to a small, old-fashioned building tucked in a barren area between to larger, more well-kept buildings. There was a small, dirty-looking van parked beside it, and a baseball bat lay on the grass-lacking yard in front of the shop. A large sign was situated over the doorway which read _Urahara Shoten_. Soifon snorted. The lights were still on inside the store. Kisuke was probably meddling with something he shouldn't be, or maybe he'd fallen asleep _while _fiddling with something. It would be easier to kick his ass that way, but her thoughts disappeared when she heard eager voices from inside. She knocked, catching sight of Ggio's slightly irritated expression. In fact, all three of the Arrancar had irritated expressions, as this shop catered to Shinigami needs and sold Hollow-repellent disguised as harmless household cleaning products.

Kisuke opened the door, his hat tipped sideways on his head, giving his usual raccoon look an adjustment. "Why hello there!" he said cheerfully.

"I hope we didn't come at an inconvenient time," she said stiffly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"No, not at all!" He turned to look at his guests and then back at them. "Come in, come in!"

And so the three Arrancar and the short Shinigami walked inside Urahara Kisuke's dinky little shop. Two black-haired young women sat on a small, ratty couch near the short, circular table. A short, slender young woman with pale brown hair - slightly resembling one of the black-haired women - sat on a zabuton at the table while a redheaded young man sat on a barrel, swirling the contents of his water bottle around in a lethargic manner. Everyone looked up and waved except the brown-haired woman, who looked around confusedly. She could not see spirits.

"Kurosaki Karin, Tsumugiya Ururu, Kurosaki Yuzu and Hanakari Jinta!" Urahara said cheerfully, sitting himself on another zabuton on the floor. The black cat perched on the counter twitched its tail. Soifon was frozen in shock. They'd grown so much! The Kurosaki twins were fraternizing with Urahara Kisuke, and his two child assistants... They'd grown up too. They were all taller than she was - although she had to admit it didn't take much for one to be taller than she. Yuzu, overcoming her initial confusion, beamed around the room. Grimmjow snorted.

"The little squirts have grown so much," he grunted. Karin narrowed her eyes at him.

Yuzu raised her hand rather tentatively, her other hand fidgeting with the pencil she held. "I can't exactly see you guys, so you're spirits," she said simply. "Does Nii-chan know who you guys are?"

"Unfortunately," Grimmjow and Ulquiorra said at once, simultaneously, and Soifon made a sound that implied 'yes', which prompted Urahara to relay their messages once they remembered she couldn't hear spirits either. Kisuke then began to explain Ichigo did not know who Ggio was.

"So you're one of those Soul Society captains," Jinta said slowly, still spinning his bottle. "I take it they," he motioned towards the three motionless Arrancar standing around her, "have been successfully inducted into the Gotei 13. And there's been no trouble?"

"Well Kurotsuchi's been exposed as a sick, twisted maniac and crushed into a bloody pulp by Szayel-Aporro Granz," she said tonelessly.

"Well, it was inevitable once when I discovered him conducting experiments on live subjects - rodents, actually - and a cactus," Kisuke added helpfully. Yuzu raised her hand again, her brow furrowed.

"Is there any way you could suddenly just turn - visible?" she asked. "I'm having a hard time keeping track of the conversation when I can't actually see or hear half the people here," she added. Kisuke raised his brows at the four from Soul Society.

"How about you get in your Gigat and I find you clothes?" he asked.

Yoruichi shifted. "I guess I'll have to turn human," she grumbled. "Come."

Soifon had borrowed some modern-wear from Yoruichi. Yoruichi actually didn't have many clothes, seeing as she spent almost all her time as a cat, but it was also no problem for Soifon just to wear hers. But sometimes they were slightly loose. At the moment, she was seated on a large crate, wearing a black sweater and black leggings. She was more petite than Yoruichi - as well has having different chest dimensions - but it was a pretty good fit. For others, Kisuke had borrowed off Tatsuki, who had similar body proportions to Soifon.

She'd never expected Kisuke of all people to have modern clothes, instead believing he went everywhere in that ratty old kosode and inverted haori, not to mention the hideous bucket hat. Yoruichi told her that he actually always wore those, and she didn't know where he got the modern clothes from, leading her to suspect he had stolen them quickly or taken them from some of his human associates. It wasn't far from the truth, as he had hurriedly explained he'd borrowed them from Kurosaki Ichigo, as the three Arrancar had blatantly refused to wear any of his replica clothes.

Ggio was sitting unconcernedly on the floor in a white hoodie and jeans, somewhat oversized but he didn't seem to mind. Ulquiorra was dressed in a white, tucked Oxford and black slacks, having expressed disgust at what humans casually wore. Kisuke had been very prepared, borrowing clothes from Ishida Uryu, who dressed 'classier'. Ulquiorra was satisfied. Grimmjow was dressed in a flannel hoodie and jeans. Kisuke was too much of a cheapskate to buy his own clothes so he had begged the humans for clothes a while earlier.

Hasty introductions were made, and she soon discovered that they were planning a surprise party for the human Kurosaki Ichigo. Ichigo had gotten his powers back long ago, but he was busy along with Ishida; they were both somewhat employed by Kisuke as a part of a larger overseas development. Hikifune had developed the Soul Candies, and little designs had been made - Chappy, Yuki and Pupples were by far the most popular. Chappy-related products were being sold, and the reason Urahara had refused to go back to Soul Society was because he was in charge - although mostly he slacked off and relied on his subordinates.

"I live like I've got hardly anything," Kisuke had said solemnly, "and we're using the profit to fund less well-off protection squads as well as several worldwide charities not just in Japan." He beamed. "And I'm too fond of this little shop to spend the rest of my life living like a pampered kitty cat!" Yoruichi had hissed from where she was curled up on his lap and dug her claws into his

He was content to run his little candy shop, and Ichigo and Ishida also dealt in these, although Ishida was also busy with his line of hospitals. Ichigo had taken up residence outside of his father's clinic, although they visited occasionally. Isshin had also agreed to work alongside Kisuke, although Ryuken distanced himself and refused to take any part of it. All in all, the Kurosaki-Arisawa family and the Ishida-Inoue family were well stocked in Chappy memorabilia - stuffed toys, mugs and pillows. Wakame Taishi was also being sold, from Byakuya's insistence, but it was nowhere as popular as the rabbit. Byakuya just refused to believe so.

"So… You actually think Kurosaki will come here of all places?" Grimmjow said with disgust, eyeing the little shop. "I thought he hated this place."

Kisuke put a hand to his heart, his face taking on a mock shocked expression. "Mr Jaegerjaquez!" he spluttered.

Yuzu gave a nervous giggle. "Tessai-san is out, but he's helping to reconstruct the caverns down below."

Jinta sneezed and wiped his nose before adding, "It's not like you guys will stay long enough to witness the party or how Carrot-Top's gonna react. It's July fifth, and you aren't gonna be staying for more than four days. I seemed to recall the party being on the fifteenth."

Karin gave a start. "Wait, will the children be there?" she asked suddenly.

Soifon gaped. "Children?!"

Grimmjow gave another noncommittal grunt.

"So they've whelped brats," Ulquiorra said simply.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Ggio, holding his hands up.

"Yes…" Kisuke said, counting on his fingers. "Ichigo has had a son – raging orange hair – with Tatsuki. He's about four now. And Orihime and Uryu? I think two twin daughters. Yoruichi's told me that much."

"So you keep track of them more than you do us?" Karin asked dryly. "I seem to recall Ururu and Jinta working here for who knows how long."

Ururu sniffed. "Such a lousy boss."

Kisuke laughed nervously. "Now hold on, guys! I'm sorry!" He prodded the paper with his pencil as if it were a wand and he was expecting something miraculous to happen. "I'm getting someone to babysit them!"

"Who?" they cried.

"The Vizards!" he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Soifon groaned and Ggio glanced at her curiously. Jinta turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised, swirling the contents of his water bottle around absently.

"I don't think Sarugaki would be a very good role model," she muttered. "She has the filthiest mouth ever and Yadomaru has… the wrong type of taste in magazines and what humans call manga. But maybe Hachigen would be alright…"

Yoruichi yawned and smirked. "Hey, Kisuke! Tell her how life was in the Kido Box," she chortled. Kisuke rubbed the back of his neck.

"For a month I was locked in there with nothing to do!" he cried. "They gave me food, Hiyori kept coming over and laughing at me, and Lisa kept trying to make me read her manga!" He cowered, as if the memories were not so good. Yuzu had an amused smile on her face, while Jinta's one was downright wicked, as if recalling the best month of his life.

"It was awesome," he said almost dreamily. "It might have been thirteen years ago, but I can still remember hitting the box with a stick and annoying the hell outta him!" Ururu just laughed, as she'd done that too. Soifon was still amazed at how much the children had grown, although there was no change in herself. Another year and they'd look the same age as her – except that she herself was over 200, as Shinigami lived longer lives in their death. Karin was already towering over her, and so was the squirt Jinta. They must have hit major growth spurts.

Kisuke pouted. "I kept getting yelled at, and Hachi kept apologizing, but I think he thought it funny too!"

"Hey, how about we lock Ichi-nii in a Kido Box too for a couple of hours?" Karin's eyes gleamed and Yuzu leaned over and smacked her arm.

"No! It's his birthday! I say we lock him in there for a whole day!" This just caused Jinta to laugh so hard he snorted water out of his nose, and they all began to laugh. Even Soifon smiled a little at the sight.

The time passed quickly with a lot of scheming, and Kisuke's visitors left to go home, promising to visit again when it was more convenient. Apparently, over the course of the years, Kisuke and Tessai had renovated a part of the caverns underneath the small shop, adding a rather shabby flat as a part of it. The walls of the individual rooms were painted an infernal shade of green with white stripes - Kisuke had adhered to his love of green and white as shown on his hat - and the hallway walls were black with white diamonds. Soifon wondered if Tessai even got a say in this, but then banished the thought as decorations resembling rectangular-shaped glasses and magnificent bushy moustaches seemed to be a theme in the little flat. Needless to say Tessai burst into happy tears when he arrived back to find Grimmjow announcing the flat was well-built and Ulquiorra agreed in his own way. Even Ggio agreed it was a huge improvement from Las Noches, but Soifon made no comment. She still hated Urahara's colour scheme.

Thankfully there were enough rooms for them to all reside separately, as she didn't know - or want to imagine - what would happen if someone forced any of the Arrancar to bunk together from what she had heard of the rivalry between the former Sexta and Cuatro. Ggio informed her it was much like the one between two of his old fellow Fraccion he had to bunk with, and she quietly agreed, not bothering to tell him she still had no idea what _he _was talking about. It wasn't like she was actually familiar with any of the Arrancar other than him. "Huh?" She stopped dead in her doorway. "Familiar?" She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She wasn't supposed to think of him as _familiar_. They would go investigate the Hollow nest - what she had begun to call the base of the rogue Arrancar - tomorrow.

It was late and they would sleep, then gather data on the Arrancar tomorrow. Ulquiorra at least had enough brains and understanding of his own kind to do it, and the task had been assigned to him. She could plainly hear him and Ggio arguing outside on the concept of a shower. Grimmjow was adamantly refusing to believe that people actually willingly stood for several minutes under running water, and Ggio was demanding to know how he cleaned himself. Grimmjow had just shrugged and said he didn't, as he hated water. She smiled faintly to herself before changing into some bear-patterned pajamas belonging to Tatsuki - why did humans have to like cute things so much? - and sitting on the unfamiliar bed. There were no windows in the room. Just glass panels in front of printed backdrops. Her one had a papery view of the sea, and that was what she fixated her gaze on before reluctantly drifting off.

[TIME]

She was awakened by her own sobbing. The pillow was wet with tears as she lifted herself up with a start, hugging her knees. She wished for once the nightmares could leave her alone, and her jacked up brain could just forget her father. She wished her mind didn't just say, "You want a good night's sleep? Haha, no. Have nightmares instead, and remember your dad." It was infuriating, and there were so many nights she lost sleep because she didn't want to see her father's face leering at her and her frightened elder siblings. She must have spend over a hundred sleepless nights in fear. The fear was suffocating sometimes, and many a time she'd woken herself up, screaming until her throat was raw. These times were better than those times where she had to stay by herself in the old manor when she reluctantly went on leave. She didn't tell anyone, and the times had improved when Yoruichi had taken it upon herself to personally train Soifon. How happy they had been.

She didn't want to be in this little room anymore. She stumbled over to the door and opened it. Thankfully the lights were on, and she just sat in the doorway, away from the darkness but reluctant to actually walk outside. She heard snores from some of the other rooms. The bathroom door in front of her was half open, revealing that no one was inside. She considered going inside and washing her face for a moment, then decided against it. She rubbed her eyes, knowing the areas around them were red, and so was her nose when she sniffed, trying to make herself as quiet as possible. Nothing in the Onmitsukido training had prepared her for keeping quiet when she was crying and had a running nose, just like a child. They'd always taught her to not let her emotions show, but never taught her what to do when she couldn't do that. She brought her knees to her face and wrapped her arms around herself, burying her nose into the crook of her arm. According to the clock on the wall, which she saw when she stretched her neck out and looked left, it was 2 AM in the morning. Everyone would be asleep.

Quiet footsteps sounded. Ggio walked quietly forward. The lights were on because he'd gone up to get a cup of water earlier, and he came down the stairs to find a small figure huddled in her doorway. He couldn't explain the feeling he got when he saw part of Soifon's face wet with tears, the part unobscured by her arm. He didn't like the feeling. It made him upset in the angry sense, but not at her. Definitely not at her, but at the ones who'd made her sad. He couldn't explain the feeling, so he'd just dropped down beside her in the doorway. "I'm guessing you're not alright." No answer. Damnit, he was an _Arrancar_. A Hollow, basically. He didn't know how _feelings _went that weren't battle-related. Or did he? He brushed the thought away. Of course he didn't.

"Why?" Finally she spoke, and it was that one word. He remembered her bandaging him up when he hadn't expected it to, and possibly, she was thinking the same thing. The way she was unable to answer. Ggio was troubled. He couldn't answer either, so he just shrugged. They sat in silence, one miserable and one slowly becoming miserable at how upset the other was. Ggio offered his water to her, and she took it, downing half the contents in one go before murmuring her thanks and handing it back to him. Minutes went by in silence, but Soifon was at least grateful for the one sitting beside her. Ggio, on the other hand, was angry with himself for making no attempt to help or comfort her. Without a word, he stood up. To Soifon's confusion, he didn't walk back to his own room, but into hers, and he grabbed her bedspread and carried it over, draping it around her shoulders, a gesture of warmth. Tentatively, he slung his arm around her and to his - and her own - amazement, she made no movement to get away.

Ggio wet his lips. He wanted to say something, but couldn't think of _what _to say. Eventually he settled for, "I'm here for you." And he got an unexpected answer.

"Thank you."


	20. Chapter 20

**Euehehehe... Non-canon facts and research right there! But it was fun, and I had a great time trying to make it seem legitimate. I hope you enjoy this chapter at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please drop a review to let me know what you think ^^**

Privaron Espada

Nothing could explain the relief he felt when her tears finally stopped and dried, and she stopped looking so sad anymore. When her head began to tilt and eyelids drooped, he waited until she slept, then bundled her up in her bedspread and carried her, once more, back to the bed and laid her down as if she was the most delicate, fragile glass statue. She was more than capable of defending herself and kicking enemy ass, but she just looked so vulnerable and defenseless. Her defenses had dropped so much she'd fallen asleep against him - she'd trusted him that much - and he felt a strange feeling when he came to the realization.

He brushed the thoughts away as easily as he absently brushed her hair behind her ear, and froze when she shifted slightly, but she didn't wake. He heaved a sigh as he watched her for a short while longer. As he walked outside, he found himself casting a rather longing glance back at her, then squeezed his eyes shut. _Well, fuck. _He closed the door quietly, then picked up the cup and made his way back to his own room. _Fuck, fuck, fuck... _Nothing Barragan said had actually mentioned anything for harbouring growing feelings. He almost laughed mirthlessly. How could a Hollow love? How could _he_?

And worse, this would fuck everything up. He slunk into his room and sat on his bed, rocking back and forth, clutching his head. Whatever plans Barragan had, Ggio would surely mess them up because it had gone terribly wrong. He was sure it would involve hurting her, and how could he deal with that? Since he had discovered he actually _cared _for the woman. If Barragan found out, then... Ggio didn't want to think about it. Barragan was a twisted, sick fuck sometimes, he had come to realize, because he was using Ggio to twist her emotions. Now that he'd found out what it was like to _feel_... He would have let out a stream of curse words that would have made Nnoitra quiver in his curly-toed boots.

As it was, he found he had drifted off to sleep without realizing, and woke up with his mask on the floor, his already messy hair tousled and tangled even more. He rubbed the bleariness out of his eyes, put on his mask, and ambled upstairs to where they were all sitting around a short, stout-legged table on zabuton cushions, save for Ulquiorra. He could conclude Grimmjow wasn't the morning type either, because he snapped at _everything _and communicated in only a series of grunts until Kisuke showed him something called coffee. Soifon sat and chatted with Yoruichi, the cat curled up in her lap, and nothing could explain the happiness he felt when he saw her smile. it was quite a rare sight, and brought one to his own face.

"Morning, Vega-san!" Kisuke called cheerily, passing him a mug of 'coffee'. Ggio glanced down at it suspiciously. The others seemed to be enjoying it, so he drank some. Trying not to wince, he glanced back up as he waited for the bitter aftertaste to disappear. "So, today, are you going out to scout the rebel Arrancar?" Kisuke asked. "Last time I checked they were only active at night." He tapped his nose. "The Gotei 13 forbid us to intervene - "

"And I think Kisuke wouldn't have bothered anyway," Yoruichi muttered, "seeing as he's been so busy with a project."

Kisuke blushed. "It's important! And if I finish it soon enough, one of you lucky Arrancar will be able to be a test subject."

This prompted groans and rapid shakings-of-heads, and Yoruichi chuckled. "It involves you getting some form of your Adjuchas base animal back," she explained.

"So I'll be able to turn into... like... an actual panther?" Grimmjow asked, suddenly wide-awake. "Awesome!"

Ggio examined the contents of his mug. Become a feline like Yoruichi? He worried about side-effects, then glanced up to see Soifon's eyes meet his own. She smiled a little bashfully, acknowledging the events of last night - or rather, very early morning - and Yoruichi shifted slightly. He could have sworn she muttered, "Dorks," under her breath, and suspiciously wondered what the shifty-looking feline meant. A moment later, Ulquiorra appeared at the stairs, looking annoyingly immaculate, and he flatly said that he knew how to wake himself up and look presentable at least, snidely commenting that they all looked like trash. Grimmjow then vowed to get a picture of Ulquiorra asleep, or at east half-asleep, then show it to Nnoitra and the others, to which Ulquiorra responded that he didn't sleep like trash.

Soifon cleared her throat. "So, you have your Soul Pills at the ready?" she asked.

"Still wondering why they didn't just use Alfred..." Grimmjow grumbled, examining 'Cranea-chan', "Skull sure looked dapper with that little top hat."

"That's because it was a Shinigami Gikongan, Grimmjow, and if you eat it you will die in the most gruesome manner possible," Ulquiorra stated flatly. "Not that it would have mattered."

"Fuck you."

-::-

The Arrancar in the cave in Hueco Mundo were growing impatient. Loly and Aaroniero in particular, for they were bickering; arguing on when the Privaron Espada would finally arrive. Menoly was absently using Loly's Zanpaktou to scratch patterns into the sand, when suddenly Barragan perked up. The others did as well, for a great, unfamiliar Reiatsu could be sensed and was heading their way. "They are here," Barragan said almost excitedly, his aged visage seeming to grow young as he anticipated their arrival. And finally they arrived, having used Shunpo to make an entrance, the crackling and buzzing heralding their arrival.

The assembled Arrancar looked on in awe at the towering trio of rebel Privaron Espada. The Arrancar who appeared to be the leader wore a white trench coat, trousers and what looked to be combat boots. He was well-built, with broad shoulders, and his mask fragments consisted of a deer skull with large, arching and curling antlers. His eyes were hidden by the shadows of his mask, and he had a scruffy beard. Menoly thought he looked a little like a moose or reindeer. He looked balefully at them all, givng off the aura of someone perfectly willing to just charge and gore one of them with his horns.

The second one made Loly swoon. But almost. He had a dark, sinister look to him, with a lazy smirk and hooded green eyes. He looked like a tall, thin, middle-aged man, but darkly handsome. He wore a long cloak over his bare chest, which was covered in tribal tattoos, and the customary hakama and sandals. Right now, his gaze was fixed upon Loly, and Menoly rushed over and caught her friend as she saw her knees buckling. Menoly didn't like this guy. He seemed to have hypnotized Loly, and he seemed too snakelike for her liking. Loly's eyes were strangely blank. The Arrancar's Hollow mask fragments consisted of what looked like a helmet, or a rounded snake skull with thin fangs protruding from the front. He gazed at Loly for a while longer, then shifted his gaze to other, more interesting things then the Arrancar girl. One would have assumed he was eyeing Loly hungrily, but Menoly knew his gaze was cold and he regarded the two as nothing more than insignificant toys for his amusement. She glared at him some more before setting Loly down. Her friend's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

The third was a short, slender yet curvaceous middle-aged woman who looked a little like an older version of someone Menoly knew, but couldn't recall who. She wore a forest-green strip of cloth around her eyes, but looked as if she could get around fine, and cloth of the same colour was wrapped around her head, concealing her hair, but a faint hissing noise could be heard. She wore a white coat dress with black buttons, and a hooded cape over that, with the hood pulled over her head, over the cloth covering her hair and casting her face in shadow. Her lips were a dark green colour and she seemed to sense Menoly looking at her in an expression of awe, and she bared her teeth and hissed. Her teeth were pointed fangs, and even as she closed her mouth the hissing continued. It sent shivers down her spine, and Menoly wondered how the Espad could have ever replaced these people.

Barragan inclined his head. "Please introduce yourselves," he said, eyeing the snakelike Arrancar warily.

The snakelike Arrancar's smirk widened, and all the assembled Arrancar shifted uncomfortably. He seemed unbothered by this, casually adjusting his cape and announcing, "I am Marcelo Rivera," his gaze drifted over them all, "former Segunda Espada." And he flashed a wide grin at Barragan, betrayed by the cold look in his eyes. "Greetings."

The blindfolded woman stirred, and whispered something inaudible under all the hissing that seemed to emanate from her hood. When Barragan demanded she speak louder, she held up one hand. "Quiet down, darlings," she murmured, and the hissing stopped. She turned to them all, wearing a smile, but it was cold and Menoly got the feeling that, under the blindfold, her eyes could see perfectly well, and with means other than sight she was identifying them all, and regarding them like prey. She and Rivera both seemed... snakelike. "I am Merche De Santigo," she said simply. "Former Cuatro." Her smile widened. "But you may call me Medusa."

Aaroniero, who had taken on the appearance of Shiba Kaien again, widened his eyes. Probably recounting the memories he had absorbed, he probably recognized the name. "No way..." he breathed.

Medusa's smile became a cruel smirk. "Oh yes I am," she purred.

The first Arrancar, the one Menoly had thought a moose at first but now a reindeer, lifted his head and now everyone saw he had heterochromia - one eye was dark brown and the other was a startlingly blue colour. "Ander Ramos," he rumbled. "Former Primera." A silence fell on the Arrancar. Medusa tapped Marcelo Rivera's shoulder and the tall, thin Arrancar leaned down so that she could go on tiptoe and whisper something in his ear. He whispered something back; it sounded a lot like Spanish and Barragan narrowed his eyes - perhaps he could understand them - and both of them shot knowing glances at each other and resumed standing imperially in front of the other Arrancar.

Rivera beamed and clapped his hands together. "Any questions?" he asked brightly. Menoly still didn't trust him one bit, but she raised her hand anyway. "Yes?"

"You two resemble someone I know," she murmured, holding Loly upright. "Are you, perhaps, related to..." she thought for a moment, "Sung-Sun!" she exclaimed, eyes widening. Rivera nodded sagely.

"When Aizen recruited us," he put an arm around Medusa and she beamed up at him, the two abandoning their former sinister pretense - but it didn't fool anyone, they still radiated evil and danger, "it was an honour. We would be delighted to join. But," he paused, "We had an egg." He shot a dirty look at Barragan. "We entrusted it to _him _for safekeeping, until she grew up," and there, Barragan shifted uncomfortably, "and so we joined Aizen's army."

"Later when we were demoted, we saw _him_," Medusa paused in her quiet speaking to gesture at Barragan, "in our ranks and wondered whatever happened to our child. It turns out she hatched, escaped and ran amok with a Vasto Lorde and two other Arrancar - one of whom was Ramos-san's daughter too - and ended up being recruited by Aizen anyway." She pursed her mouth. "Cyan Sung-Sun. Our daughter."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Loly interrupted irritably, having woken up, "but you just revealed to us all that Sung-Sun is pureborn. What's to stop one of these _buffoons_," she gestured at an indignant Aaroniero and a visibly peeved Zommari, as well as a few other male Arrancar, trying to disguise the former excitement on their faces; both Loly and Medusa shot dirty looks at them, "from making a move on her?" She crossed her arms. "You _know _how much Arrancar desire pureborns or natural-borns, whatever you call them."

Rivera flapped his hands at her and plopped down on a boulder, Medusa sitting cross-legged on the other side, and said, "Oh, that doesn't matter. She's got her fellow Fraccion and the queen of Hueco Mundo to protect her," a sour look crossed his face, but soon disappeared, "and besides, she's already mated or claimed, so other Arrancar can just fuck off."

"Language," Medusa reminded quietly, her voice barely audible. They didn't seem to notice the other Arrancar's gasps and murmursas they tried to grasp the fact Sung-Sun was already mated.

"Sorry, Merche." But he seemed slightly angry, and his face was shadowed by a scowl.

"To who?" Loly demanded. Rivera just shrugged and resumed brooding.

Aaroniero pointed to Ander Ramos. "I'm guessing your daughter is Emilou Apacci?" he said, brow furrowed.

Ander nodded. "Yes. And she is perfectly capable of defending herself from other miserable males," he rumbled threateningly.

"As if anyone would want a dragon like that anyway," Aaroniero muttered to himself. Ramos didn't hear. Aaroniero jabbed his finger at Medusa. "You. Greek monster legend?"

Medusa sighed. "Oh, I am ancient. Oh, so ancient. I was cursed by a goddess for... you know, having an affair in her temple," and there, Rivera cast a filthy look at the ground at mention of his mate's first 'boyfriend', "and I was made into a hideous monster! My sisters Stheno and Euryale shared my pain, but passed on peacefully before I, but as I was slain, I was filled with hate for that petty Perseus, and..." She sighed. "I turned into a hollow, but I did maintain the form I once had." She shrugged. "Monsters before, monsters now. And then Aizen made me into a humanoid again!" She sighed. "But my little darlings still remain."

It was Rivera's turn to speak up next. "I was also an ancient being from Greece. The first king of Athens, Cecrops. I was a good king, instituted marriage, worshipped the gods and all... But I died too soon. But luckily, I did maintain this form, same as Merche!" His brow furrowed. "We were renamed as Hollows, and wound up here as Menos, fighting our way to the top of the lump of Hollows, and became Vasto Lorde. We lived for centuries, and reigned side by side as monarchs until we settled down and abandoned the throne," and there he shot Barragan the dirtiest look he could muster, "but we no longer desire the throne," he said smoothly.

Medusa patted her stomach. "It seems laying an egg at such an age isn't too harmful." Loly screwed her eyes shut.

"My mate is dead," Ramos said quietly, "but she too originated in Greece like these two." He sighed. "Ceryn was a human at first, but she turned into the most beautiful Hollow," Loly hid retching faces behind her hand and Menoly stifled a giggle, "and was blessed by a goddess, made into her sacred animal. But she was wounded by this fellow Heracles..." He buried his face in his hands. "She survived, but when she finally died she became a Menos, then a beautiful Adjuchas. She never ascended to Vasto Lorde, and later gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Later she died, and I became a Vasto Lorde, tasked with raising Emilou, but she disappeared and I never saw her again. I despaired and finally joined Aizen, and when I was demoted I saw her - not as a puny Hollow but a strong Arrancar. Even though she looked like a human, I recognized her." He paused, and both Menoly and Medusa were dabbing at their eyes, sniffling - Medusa was rubbing at the cloth around her eyes, trying to dry them without lifting the blindfold - and for good reason too, Aaroniero had muttered.. Even Loly was touched by his story, but she was muttering denial to herself. "I fled because I didn't want her to recognize me and call me out for being a bad father." Medusa was now bawling, and Rivera patted her awkwardly on the back. Aaroniero snorted. Menoly let out a choked giggle. The three Privaron Espada didn't seem so evil now, but one thing was bothering her.

"Why did you join?" she asked, ignoring Barragan's panicked flailing. "If you're going to fight your children?"

Rivera turned her her, and expression of surprise on his gaunt face. "Why, we're going to try and recruit them, of course," he said, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world, and Barragan heaved a sigh of relief, "We want to have our children back, and want to reconcile with them for being sorry excuses for parents."

* * *

**Plot twist, dundundun. In case it's kinda confusing, this meeting happened _while _our friends in the Urahara Shoten were asleep - or otherwise sitting awake - so just clearing that up for you. And random fact: the day I am posting this is Starrk and Lilynette's birthday. Happy Birthday, Primera! Not you, Ramos. Shoulda written something for them, but maybe later. And also - so many character birthdays! Rukia's birthday was five days ago! And Yoruichi's birthday was on New Year's Day, and Urahara's birthday was one day before that and before _that _it was Kon! So... happy belated birthday? Goddammit, I can't keep track of all these birthdays ;n;**


	21. Chapter 21

**I apologize if they all seem pathetic in this scene ^^' I'm not particularly good at writing fight scenes, so... Yeah. Sorry about that.**

Butterfly's Wings

"Fuck - Urahara, you bastard, you told me they didn't come out in the day!" Grimmjow bellowed into his Soul Pager. The team of four dived around a behemoth, a towering goat Soifon had managed to lure into an area full of abandoned buildings, one of the more isolated areas of Karakura Town. It seemed that this guy was the only one around their little - or rather, large - burrow of rogue Arrancar; apparently his companions were off terrorizing other regions of Japan. Grimmjow cursed. He had never considered himself a short man - he was actually rather tall, along with fellow Espada and a few of the male Shinigami, but this guy was almost as tall as Yammy, with shoulders just as broad. He dodged a Cero as he waited for the idiot Urahara to reply. And finally he did.

_"Sorry, Jaegerjaquez-san! It seems that this guy isn't nocturnal likes his buddies," _Kisuke replied over the other end. In fact, the tall, scruffy scientist was ambling around the shop unconcernedly, making pancakes while Yoruichi was perched on the couch watching a program on TV. She was also indifferent about the situation. _"We also happen to need him alive...? Actually dead would be fine, but alive would be good for information and interrogations."_

"No shit!" Grimmjow yelled into the phone, dodging yet another blast, yet letting out a gasp as a piece of rubble hit him in the stomach. Ulquiorra was watching the goat-man intently with an almost calculating look to his otherwise bland expression. Ggio was charging up a Cero from inside a plain gray building, the window smashed. Grimmjow briefly wondered if the little cat-dude had gotten pricked by any glass pieces before he dodge yet another Cero. Was he only just a distraction? Evidently, because Soifon was nowhere to be found. He supposed it was just another one of her sneak attacks, what with being the damned captain of the assassination squad.

_"I didn't think it would be a problem for you four," _Urahara snarked, his own Soul Pager pressed against his shoulder by his cheek in his poor attempt to flip the pancakes, there was a hasty curse uttered from his mouth that caused both Yoruichi and Grimmjow to perk up in surprise, but Yoruichi just flicked an ear and went back to watching a violent movie on the small television at the back of the shop. Meanwhile, at Grimmjow's end, several magenta blasts of energy, coupled with a few, evidently larger, green-coloured Cero hit the goat Arrancar, but the man dodged them all. Grimmjow didn't miss how he wore shoes that looked suspiciously like cloven hooves. This guy must have had the grace of a mountain goat.

"You fightin' or something?!" Grimmjow yelled, cursing as he was nailed in the head by a large chunk of concrete, courtesy of the goat Arrancar. "Cero!" he bellowed, firing a ball of crimson energy at the Arrancar. He took a closer look at the laughing Arrancar standing within the rubble. He wore the average Arrancar uniform, and his Hollow mask fragments looked like a goat skull, with curling horns not unlike Neliel's except his horns arched upwards and curled backwards again in a swirl. He had shaggy, dirty-blond hair and a scruffy goatee. Grimmjow smirked to himself. What a pun. Was it intended?

_"No, I'm not fighting, however Yoruichi-san just yelled at me to stop bothering you so I shall." _And before Kisuke hung up, Grimmjow clearly heard him ask, _"Pancake, Yoruichi-san?"_

"Son of a - " Grimmjow cursed to himself, but paused just as he made out a black and white blue of movement so fast he thought he had imagined it. Ggio let out a bark of laughter before firing his Cero; his shock had caused him to lose control, but he regained it and fired it just as Soifon darted back into clear view, and once the smoke cleared, the Arrancar was lying in a smoking heap inside a crater in the concrete, battered and bruised. A large black Homonka had appeared on his side, underneath his left arm. Grimmjow didn't miss the small smirk on Soifon's smug face and he glowered to himself.

She regained the bland expression reminiscent of an angry Ulquiorra before disappearing again, but just as she did the goat Arrancar yelled, "Lower your horns, Cabra de Carga!" Soifon was thrown backwards and would have easily smashed through an undamaged part of a building - if she wouldn't have become a pancake - if not for Ggio appearing behind her in a flash and being thrown back by the force of herself being thrown by the blast following the Arrancar's Resurreccion; they both slammed into the building with decidedly less force; Ggio taking the brunt of the blast.

"I don't need you looking after me the same way my idiot lieutenant does!" she sniped, before clambering away.

Ggio gave a loud, exaggerated cough. "Is this really what Omaeda does? Remind me - never again!" Grimmjow snorted before dodging an attack - it would be great if the lovebirds could just stop acting and arguing like a married couple. Ulquiorra had dived down and scored several slices through the goat's Hierro which was further aided by the thick, wiry cream-coloured fur that had spread across his body. In addition to that, the Arrancar had gotten several times more muscular, with larger horns that curled several times before finally arching back - but how? - and cloven hooves. There were tufts of fur lining down his back, and he heard Soifon make a scathing remark on how much he resembled Ggio's Tigre Estoque El Sable before the short - but not as short as her - Arrancar snapped back and told her to shut up.

"Who the _fuck _are you?!" Grimmjow yelled down at the Arrancar, diving past and slicing him across the shoulder, noticing that the Homonka had disappeared. Evidently Soifon noticed as well, judging from the not-so-discreetly muttered curse.

"Fernando Ramirez!" came the answer. "Former Sexta Espada!"

"The fuck?" Grimmjow dived again, lopping off the short, tasseled tail he sported on his rump. "You mean you're a Privaron Espada? How come we never saw you?!" He didn't miss several black and white blurs of the shrimps as they darted around Ramirez, covering him with cuts that spurted scarlet blood. Ramirez was visibly confused until he spied Ggio for a moment before the shorter Arrancar disappeared and he gained another cut through his fur and Hierro. Already his fur was no longer a dirty-looking cream but splashed with red. In order to land several cuts in quick succession they had to be fast, but to deal more harmful cuts through the Hierro, they had to spend more time and that was evidently not good for stealth.

"Aizen had the nerve to demote us in favour of you petty younglings," was the disdainful reply, "and we deserted him."

"Well, former Sexta..." Grimmjow let loose a flare of blue Reiatsu. "I'm just pretty sure you did a shit job and we were ultimately better!" He was caught off guard as a giant, bright-green Cero hit Ramirez in the back and they were both sent sprawling. Ulquiorra sheathed his sword, and Grimmjo muttered, "Shit..." as he dug around in is pocket and brought out a smashed Soul Pager, wires sticking out everywhere, having been crushed by himself as he was flung back.

"Yes, keep him talking, Grimmjow so I can nail him in the back with a Cero," the former Cuatro said tonelessly - with a hint of boredom, skirting around the fallen and groaning form of Fernando Ramirez, still looking infuriatingly immaculate - Szayel would have been jealous, "but try to think before you talk so we don't have to deal with your idiotic statements."

Grimmjow had a coughing fit before he answered. "The fuck do you mean?" he snarled before coughing again and scrambling to his feet. When Ulquiorra didn't answer he just growled angrily and asked, "So what do we do about the body?"

"How about we take care of her first?" Soifon snapped, and they all whipped around to see a timid-looking girl hiding behind a pile of crushed rubble and dust. Her limbs looked wispy and her features were delicate, and she had shoulder-length hair coloured varying shades of black and orange. Her mask fragments were a small line of ridged bone down her head with two fragile-looking protrusions appearing to be antennae curling forward. Her attire consisted of a thickly-furred collar connected to a short white dress and the same cur around her wrists. The air behind her back shimmered slightly, the shimmering areas looking like large, ghostly wings.

"Her?" Grimmjow scoffed, "She doesn't look much like a threat."

"Hate to agree with you, Grimmjow, but she doesn't look like much," Ggio said uncertainly.

Soifon narrowed her eyes further, and her arm moved too fast for them all to see. A pebble flew past the girl, and she flinched, the shimmering area seeming to fold back slightly, however strange it looked. The other three looked taken aback; even Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly. "She's an illusionist," Soifon murmured softly. In a flash the girl disappeared, her Zanpaktou outstretched and she charged at Soifon at an unnerving speed, only to look down in confusion as her sword only pierced her discarded haori. She twisted around just in time to deflect a strike from Soifon, spinning around and kicking Ggio's blade away, catching Ulquiorra's with her foot and ducking Grimmjow's Cero with a strange grace. Soifon took this chance to score a gash across her hip; the girl winced and snarled, slashing back, ignoring the long, jagged gash in her side.

They all sparred together; at first it was just her and Soifon clashing in a furious dance of flying blades and frightening grace, matched only by the bloodlust on said girl's face as she slammed into Soifon with her sword, the short captain pushing her back almost effortlessly before spinning around and executing a roundhouse kick, launching her into Ulquiorra. The girl held her own surprisingly well, using a mix of hand-to-hand combat and swordplay not unlike Soifon and Ggio's own methods. She attacked Soifon again and Ggio, thinking quickly and, matching the two in their varying speeds, swung his blade downwards behind the girl's back. She let out a shriek as two shimmering orange and black wings materialized on the ground, the illusion broken. They were orange with black veins and outlines, wit dots of white at the tips. She disappeared, reappearing on the pile of rubble she had at first hidden behind, disguising her Reiatsu, and let out a shrieking, high-pitched noise that had them all clutching their ears; Ulquiorra seemed the most affected, probably as bats found high-pitched noises incredibly irritating to their sensitive ears.

While they were distracted, the girl whispered, "Shimmer, Monarca Vuelan!" There was a poof, as opposed to the large blast that Ramirez had brought upon entering his Resurreccion, coupled with a flash of light. They shielded their eyes, and Ulquiorra was the first to notice the wings had disappeared. He opened his mouth to say something before the light disappeared and the girl was flapping her glittering wings, herself resembling a large Monarch butterfly. She had grown an extra pair of arms and her ask fragments arched downwards in a bony proboscis above her real nose and she cloaked herself in the same shimmering visage as before. Soifon narrowed her eyes and before anyone could notice, swung her sword upwards beside the spot where Fernando Ramirez lay, and a bony forearm fell onto the ground.

"I am Danaus Sierra, former Octava and I am leaving," she murmured quietly before picking up an unconscious Fernando Ramirez with the arms sprouting from her waist - her original right forearm was gone, chopped off by Soifon and replaced by the gruesome visage of a bloody stump. She flapped upwards, spun around in a glittering ball of light and just disappeared, just like that. Several microscopic dots of light drifted down, the minuscule 'scales' of a butterfly wing. There was the unmistakable zipping and crackling sound of a Garganta being opened, and all four of them glanced wildly around for it, or even a shimmering, wavering giveaway of the Garganta being cloaked in Reiatsu-infused magic, and Ggio noticed it just before it disappeared. Grimmjow cursed and stabbed Pantera into the ground, cursing again as he noticed he had trodden in a puddle of glistening blood.

"Well, if that wasn't a major clusterfuck I'll eat my Hollow mask," Ggio muttered, to which Soifon gave a murmured agreement and Ulquiorra, an almost imperceptible nod of his head.

-::-

"They escaped?" Kisuke asked, eyebrows raised as he passed Grimmjow an icepack for his throbbing head. Grimmjow snatched it and slapped it over his forehead, sending the shopkeeper a murderous glare in reply. Kisuke seemed to take that as an answer. "Guys, you could have just killed them instead of holding back. I told you that we didn't exactly _need _to capture them alive, so you didn't need to hold back." They were all in their Gigai, and seeing as injuries appeared on the solid body when they've been sustained in soul state, they were all quite battered and bruised as well as bleeding.

"You only told that to me over this piece of shit," Grimmjow held up his ruined Soul Pager, "and I didn't have enough time to relay the information over to the rest of them before I was fucking hit in the stomach with a piece of rubble the size of my head!" And he gestured to his ruffled blue hair as an example. "A piece of shit that size wouldn't fit through my stomach hole, you idiot." Grimmjow scowled. "Why is that Sexta so powerful anyway? And that Octava!"

"They've had around 100 years of training, of course they'd be stronger," Ulquiorra muttered. His sleeves were rolled up in favour of the bandages around his upper arm. "100 years in solitude with nothing to do, how do you suggest they spend their time in an empty desert?"

Ggio raised an eyebrow. Was Ulquiorra being... Snide? Sassy? It was a change from being his usual, plain, emotionless self but still unnerving.

"Oh, right, sorry!" Urahara busied himself ambling around and serving tea to everyone. Soifon glared up at him from where she was bandaging a bored-looking Ggio's arm. Ggio was absent-mindedly tracing circles on the floor with his foot from the barrel he was seated on - Soifon was sitting cross-legged on a crate behind him - but his movements seemed a little stiff. If he had a heart it would have been rapidly beating at Soifon's brisk but almost gentle bandaging of his arm. He hoped that the perceptive Yoruichi wouldn't notice, what with her annoying tendency to notice _everything _as he'd realized. Ulquiorra was sitting at the table with Grimmjow, sitting stiffly and silently that they'd almost forgotten he was there, and wearing a sour look, although it might have been the lighting because his expression still looked bland and devoid of emotion.

"And you forgot about the seal placed on us from the moment we walked out of the Senkaimon," she snapped, tightening the bandages a little to tightly in her anger; she seemed to not notice Ggio's wince as she yanked on the bandages. "Our power was only one _fifth _of what it could have been, and on top of that we were holding back so it would have only been one tenth!" She jabbed a finger at Kisuke. "One-fucking-_tenth_!"

Yoruichi giggled, which sounded odd in a deep, grating voice, even odder coming from a cat, "Good to see the little bee showing so much emotion!" Ggio and Kisuke snickered in unison at the nickname and she shot dirty looks at the three of them before sighing.

"Tch, maybe I got too carried away by my anger that we actually _lost_. And didn't get permission to lift the limit." Her discarded haori lay on the floor with a giant rip through the number 2 in kanji printed across the back, and she examined the brand on her shoulder, a Pasque flower. Ggio also sported one on his collarbone, Grimmjow with a crude representation of yarrow on the opposite side of his number 6 tattoo. Ulquiorra's brand wasn't visible, but it was a marigold, representation insignia of the Third Division. Despair suited him, even if it was Nnoitra's aspect of Death. Ggio reckoned 'Fight' suited Grimmjow and Nnoitra better anyway, although 'Seek Nothing' seemed a little depressing.

"Time to record information," Kisuke said good-naturedly. Grimmjow groaned, but Kisuke was quick to say, "Wasn't Cifer-san assigned to record information? Huh? Cifer-san?" For Ulquiorra had disappeared from the table, Grimmjow swearing he was there a moment ago. Kisuke shrugged. "Perhaps Cifer-san also does not like paperwork."

"No shit," Grimmjow grumbled, taking the ice pack off his head to examine it before slapping it back on.

It turned out Ulquiorra was hiding in his room to avoid the work. Grimmjow had found him under the covers with a pile of clothing on top. It was a good hiding place, but not effective against Grimmjow, who had thought he was in his own plain little room and had thrown himself on top of the bed to take a nap, unaware that it was actually Ulquiorra's and said Arrancar was hiding there. The others had realized because of the river of swears and colourful language, as well as Ulquiorra having thrown Grimmjow out and slammed the door. Needless to say, Ulquiorra avoided doing work anyway.

Back at the shop, Yoruichi was curled on the arm of the ratty old couch in front of the TV, watching a news program on the mysterious explosions in the abandoned buildings and snickering to herself. Kisuke had lent Grimmjow several manga volumes, and Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying them. Ulquiorra had finally been forced to do the paperwork, and every so often Grimmjow would look up from his Saint Seiya to have a good snicker at Ulquiorra, receiving dirty looks in response. Yoruichi was slightly miffed that, even though Grimmjow was sprawled out on the couch in front of the TV, he didn't seem to be interested in the news program at the very least. "Don't you want to see yourself on TV?"

"Naw."

Ggio was carefully tending to a cut on Soifon's face, gently placing a Band-Aid on her cheek while Soifon awkwardly tried not to squirm or make eye contact. She refused at first but Ggio had insisted. She fidgeted for a moment as Ggio pressed the adhesive down, then murmured, "Why are you insistent on helping me?" Luckily no one noticed, being immersed in what they were doing. "I-I killed you back at the battle. We tried to kill each other."

Ggio shot a glance at the others in the room and shrugged. "You know why," he said simply, tracing down her jawline with his thumb. Soifon shivered for a moment at the touch, and then Ggio seemed to realize what he was doing, cleared his throat uncomfortably and excused himself, exiting the room. Soifon heard him step down the stairs. Sure, she didn't understand, but she also didn't understand why she enjoyed the intimacy of the touch... or why she found herself wanting more. Yoruichi rose, flicked her tail and padded silently to Soifon's crate and hopped into her lap, allowing the short Shinigami to scratch her behind the ears absently while she purred.

"I never knew you would fall in love," Yoruichi said in a husky whisper to Soifon, fixing her with one intelligent golden eye. "A man, and an Arrancar at that, too."

"I-I'm not in love," Soifon snapped, but quietly enough so that no one else could hear.

Yoruichi flicked an ear. "Lie to me all you want, but don't lie to yourself," she murmured jokingly, then turned serious. "But in all my years of living, I think I'd know about the heart. More than Ulquiorra would, anyway." She eyed Soifon again, and the woman paused in petting her. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Ggio had feelings for you."

"What? He's a Hollow, he doesn't have a heart," Soifon muttered.

Yoruichi just twitched her tail in Ulquiorra's direction. "Apparently you don't need a heart to care about someone. Have you seen Emospada react to Inoue Orihime's name whenever he hears it? That's living proof. But he's accepted Orihime-chan's taken." The cat's expression became nothing short of cheeky now. "But you're still free, so Ggio at least has a chance."

"Oh, shut up," Soifon said, a little too loudly, as both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stared at them, and even Kisuke popped his head out from behind the wall to stare at her confusedly.


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm getting the feeling that this story is just a reason for me to scrawl all my headcanons down and try to make them legit, as well as making feeble attempts to make them go along with the story. I apologize for my ramblings on this subject and chapter but it's been a recent obsession of mine ^^' Also I hope this didn't seem too rushed or horrific or anything, please review to tell me how I can improve in future? eue**

Troubled Times in Las Noches

Tia Halibel was not a talkative woman. She wasn't known for being chatty; in fact she was known for being quiet and especially hard to wrestle information out of. Hell, even a few words at a time was rare, and when she talked - which was exceedingly rare - it was wise to heed her words, because they were usually meaningful, at the very least. She didn't talk to listen to the sound of her own voice, and she particularly disliked airheads who wasted their words on pointless subjects. So she had no idea why on earth she was seated at a table with her three Fraccion, a snoozing Starrk and Lilynette stacking cards on his head while he slept.

Even more confusing, as that someone had actually managed to get her to participate in their game of Poker. And she had actually been playing for quite a while. Starrk's head wasn't exactly in the game, as he kept folding without even looking at his cards, and had managed to doze off mid-game. Not that the others particularly cared. So Halibel was seated next to the former Primera, and keeping a watchful eye on him lest Lilynette do anything overly harmful, or if he managed to get drool on her sleeve. It had happened once, and it was an encounter that... she didn't exactly like to think about, lest it turn her face bright red and one of her loyal Fraccion would ask if she was alright or make a comment on how she looked like a sandy-haired tomato. She looked around. They were in a virtually empty room, at one of Aizen's old tables. The walls were white. Everything was white. There were a few windows revealing a bright, sunny day outside, thanks to Aizen's faux sun. It was one of the only things Halibel liked about the tyrant's reign.

Sung-Sun was scary good at poker and surprisingly hard to read, and it might have been for the sleeve in front of her face. Hell, Halibel had a mask covering her face, not to mention the irritatingly high collar that covered her nose, and yet Sung-Sun was unreadable. Remarkable. And now, Apacci and Mila Rose were accusing her of cheating, but it actually turned out that Apacci had a devastatingly bad hand. Halibel sighed, and glanced back at Starrk. Lilynette had managed to build a tower of cards on his head and Starrk didn't even stir, save for muttering something about frog rain. Were centuries of solitude taking their toll on him? Perhaps he just had a tendency for weird dreams, because Lilynette didn't seem to have any weird dreams at all.

Great, now Mila Rose and Apacci were having a go at Sung-Sun, and it turned out to be an all-out argument. Sung-Sun was sniping at Apacci, asking why she _never _back down, asking if she even knew what folding was. And now Mila Rose was actively participating in the argument as well. Was it time for Halibel to intervene? She'd rather not... SHe cast yet another concerned glance at Starrk. Good lord, he _still _hadn't woken up. Was Lilynette the only one in existence who could rouse him? Okay, the argument was getting out of hand. Chips were everywhere. She wasn't sure what the odd-looking stones were, but they were shiny and attractive, so perhaps that was their form of currency. No one noticed Halibel wasn't playing anymore, or perhaps they'd resigned themselves to the fact that her usual detached air plus her tendency to fall into silence and not talk was bad for a game of poker. She wondered where they even got this equipment, or what kind of poor Shinigami they'd nagged to send it to them. It looked as if it came from the Human World. Did Mila Rose travel to the Human World to obtain this? Now Halibel was worried. Did they get this via shoplifting? Perhaps it was time to intervene.

"Girls," she said quietly, but her voice seemed to resonate through the small chamber. Her Fraccion paused in their fighting. Mila Rose's hand was in Apacci's hair and the other cawing at the hand around her throat. Apacci had one hand at Mila Rose's throat and the other pulling her ear. Sung-Sun was humming to herself and swinging her feet in the chair beside them, discreetly pulling all their precious stones towards herself and hiding them in her sleeves. Even she cast her eyes up. Halibel felt gratified that this was one of the royal powers. "Would you all please stop fighting?"

"Yes, Halibel-sama," they all chorused, and immediately let go. Now Mila Rose and Apacci were looking wildly around for the stones Sung-Sun had stolen, and the girl in question was once again humming to herself. They didn't notice the small bulges in her long, drooping sleeves.

Halibel smiled to herself, but it was hidden by her mask - both of them. She didn't have to rely on her royal power to silence them. They were all loyal and devoted, but perhaps to a fault. "You can keep playing quietly, but don't... cause trouble." She raised her eyebrows and they nodded dutifully. Now for another, unrelated topic. Who was sending all these letters to Sung-Sun? And why was she so secretive about them? Whenever she was asked about it she coolly brushed them off but she seemed happy enough about it. Apacci and Mila Rose were becoming suspicious, and often sniped about Sung-Sun having found a mate behind her back. This made Halibel narrow her eyes. A... male... mate?

Now that she thought about it Sung-Sun had seemed a little different lately. She was more prone to snappish outbursts, but not in he violent sense. She seemed more fickle lately. Her mood escalated to high excitement, then drowsy indifference quickly, and it had been odd. She also disappeared for hours on end, returning later and looking slightly green. It worried Halibel, her motherly instinct kicking in. Sung-Sun had also started craving some of that Shinigami food that tasted awfully sour when she'd tried it, and Apacci had actually stepped outside to dramatically spit it onto the floor, declaring it was disgusting. Mila Rose declined her offer to try it, and so Sung-Sun had shrugged and hoarded it to herself. Actually, she seemed to crave anything sour and spicy. She'd also taken to wearing that huge hooded cloak around herself. It concealed her figure, and Halibel was even more worried, plagued by the fear that an annoying male was preying on her but... Her brow furrowed. Didn't Apacci say she was mated already? Everything was so confusing and... worrisome.

As Halibel walked, her mind drifted back to the past, to when she'd taken a juvenile lion Adjuchas, Franceska Mila Rose, with her and begun to form a sort of 'family', and she paused her walking to reminisce. She'd saved the lion's life, tending to her after she'd been passed out on the sands. And then she'd welcomed a young Cyan Sung-Sun, an anaconda Adjuchas at that time, into their little family. Apparently she was on the run from the King of Hueco Mundo. It had made Halibel very concerned. But she'd taken her in nevertheless. And then she'd expanded their family by welcoming Emilou Apacci in, after she'd saved the young deer from certain death by a disgusting male Adjuchas who'd wanted to claim her. Apacci had made some very snide remarks to the opposing moose Adjuchas, but she was flagging. Halibel admired her spirit, and then easily cut down the Adjuchas and introduced her to the other girls. They then wandered around for a while together, a band; a small, loving family.

She'd been formally acquainted with the so-called King of Hueco Mundo when he'd welcomed them to his 'court' and tried to get them to join her. She'd noticed how the bony skeleton's gaze seemed to travel over her own body, then Sung-Sun's, and how his scowl deepened. She shivered as she remembered. She immediately disliked him, and spited him every chance she'd gotten, lashing out at one of his subordinates. And then when the angry subordinate, a hammerhead Arrancar - already altered by Aizen - tracked her down and attacked her again, the brute had demanded she be his mate. She wanted to pluck his eyeballs out and shove them up his ass for being a pretentious asshole, but she hated to admit he was stronger. At the time, her thoughts had immediately gone to her three Fracciones, busy chasing down prey together. What would be of them? Once she was this cretin's little concubine, no doubt they would be as well. Or maybe they'd go to the asshole of Hueco Mundo himself, Barragan Louisenbairn. She could not imagine that happening.

So she joined Aizen. She and her band of female Adjuchas were inseparable, even after Aizen. They were like daughters to her, and she had been established as the den mother with little argument. And so they followed her without question and devoted themselves to her, nothing short of adoration. And she would do anything in her power to protect them, and nothing would stop her from trying to bite off more than she could chew to ensure their safety. Perhaps it was her own selfish desire for children. For family. Her hand flew down to her abdomen, to the region where her womb was. Or would have been.

There was a sharp stabbing pain in her chest and her womb and her other hand shot out to steady herself against the wall, while her chest heaved for breath. Flashes of her past life brought stabbing pains into her mind. She remembered loving someone else so much, that they had to produce an outlet, another vessel for their love. She remembered her heart... Her heart beating rapidly at the sight of her beloved. And the sharp pains that racked her body as she desperately tried to give birth to the child she held so dear. She had been so full of love for the child, for her beloved... It was in her womb where her heart dwelled at that time, two hearts beating as one for her infant child. Her human body had failed to survive, and she would have been able to pass on if not for the fact her child died too.

She found herself sobbing, and furiously fumbled with her zipper, hunching over in agony and tearing her mask off. It was perfectly safe to do so, and she needed the freedom. Her mask slid across the white marble floor, ignored, as she curled herself up in a ball in the quiet, isolated hallway. She remembered screaming her throat raw at the pain of giving birth, and dying under the hand of a midwife as the terrified woman tried to help both her and her infant through. Unearthly shrieking emanating from her throat, and bloodied rags everywhere. The pain in the eyes of her mate, back then, as he had to witness her death.

She had then been a Jibakurei, and Earthbound spirit, chained to the very area she'd died until the Hollowfication occurred. She'd remembered her past life exactly when Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni had wrapped her Fracciones in flames and they fell to the ground, charred and burnt. Losing them had brought back memories of her past life, and she had only then understood why, as she had overheard Barragan angrily explaining the concept of being monarch of Hueco Mundo, that impure Hollows - ones that spawned from the suffering of a Plus soul - were only worthy if they remembered the painful details of their past life, and the sorrow of their death. But being Queen was the last thing on her mind at the time. She was then filled with motherly love her her Fracciones, the Tres Bestia, her _adopted daughters_. They were as good as any child of hers, and when they had heard - after Aizen was imprisoned - they had urged her to become Queen. And as Queen she was hailed, because she carried another burden - the tragic memories of her past Human life.

"Tia, are you okay?" Suddenly she felt the presence of Starrk, and his Reiatsu was dimmed with worry. "Why are you out here," he waved his arm across the empty corridor, "half naked and crying?" One would have taken the tones in his voice to be of indifference, that he didn't care, but Halibel was familiar with him enough to know that he hid his emotions under a sleepy, lazy haze, and the drowsiness in his eyes was but a thin veil over his concern. Starrk sat down behind her and reached over for her mask fragments. "Put them back on, Tia, you look unpresentable here as Queen," he muttered to her, slinging his arm around her and muttering faint words of comfort. "It's the flashbacks again, isn't it?"

Starrk rarely showed this side to anyone other than Lilynette and Halibel herself, and at the moment she was grateful for it. She wiped her eyes and took the mask fragments from him, placing them back on. Starrk politely didn't ogle in a way that surely others would have, and she was grateful for that. But it wasn't as if he wasn't intimate with her body and vice versa... A blunder like that back in Aizen's days led to them both not being present for an Espada meeting. Aizen had been suspicious, and they'd managed to pass it off as Starrk being too lazy to attend and Halibel out hunting. Their relationship had almost jeopardized their occupations as Espada, and vice versa.

"Tell me, Starrk," Tia murmured, "doesn't it seem weird that... when we think, our thoughts can jump from one subject to another so rapidly?" He didn't seem fazed by her question in the very least.

"It's one of the wonders of our minds, I should think."

"it's just that... I was worried about Sung-Sun, and..."

He turned to her, fixing her with his knowing blue gaze. "One thing led to another, and you were attacked by the flashbacks again? I understand." And now he seemed troubled. Halibel could sense it because the comforting arm around her shoulders tensed ever so slightly.

"What is it, Starrk?" she asked, a little more sharply than she had intended. He flinched.

"I found you because I needed to inform you about something," he admitted, and his sheepish air turned urgent as he said, "It's Sung-Sun. She's sick and, well, she requests your presence." Halibel froze, then shot up.

"Let's go, Starrk," she said, scrubbing at her eyes and nose. "Whatever this is, it's much more urgent than my sob stories," she snapped, and Starrk took her wrist, rushing them both to Sung-Sun's quarters. Immediate they were swarmed by Apacci and Mila Rose as they arrived outside her door. Evidently they had agreed on something for once and carried their fellow Fraccion here.

"Halibel-sama!" Mila Rose exclaimed gravely, "you need to go see her!"

"Yeah!" Apacci added worriedly, tugging at her wrist. "She wants to speak with you privately." She examined Halibel's face. "Wait, are you okay? You look like you've been crying - "

"Apacci!" Mila Rose snapped. "Sung-Sun!"

"Right." They opened the door, where Sung-Sun was bent over emptying her stomach into a bucket. The room practically smelled of the sick, and they all wrinkled their noses at the smell. Sung-Sun cast a fearful eye up to them and beckoned Halibel over, to which the taller, buxom woman automatically obliged, rushing over at once. Sung-Sun had muttered something about wanting a private talk, and then Starrk had ushered Apacci and Mila Rose out of the room. Halibel took her hand.

"What is it, Sung-Sun?" she asked gently.

Sung-Sun cast her eyes down to the floor. "Well, I have a confession to make..." She cleared her throat, made a face and spat into the bucked. "Pardon me," she added delicately, "but... I'm sort of... um..." She poked her forefingers together in a bashful gesture, then blurted - albeit quietly, "I'm pregnant. I'm mated to Tesla Lindocruz - you remember him?" A slight blush spread over her pale, slightly-green complexion. "I really should have told you earlier, are you mad? I'm so sorry, and - "

"It's alright." Halibel laid a hand on her shoulder, not realizing once more that tears were sliding down her cheeks. Oh dear. She was frightened again, because what if Sung-Sun met the same fate as her past life self? Dying in childbirth? She squeezed her eyes shut.

Sung-Sun was now tearful, in contrast to her usual spiteful demeanour. "I'm so sorry! I'm due soon, and I never thought about what I was going to do!" Her hands began to shake as she gabbled, "I knew a long time ago, about a week or two after... it happened, and then I planned it out! I guessed it would be around six months, and-and... Back before I met you I saw Hollows give birth all the time, and I thought it would be alright! I had it planned out all so well, but once it actually came up - "

"We need to get you to Szayel, or the Shinigami at least," Halibel said quietly. "Szayel would know better about you and Tesla, and since it will be a hybrid baby - good lord, a warthog and a snake? - he'll know what to do. Their healers are good at least, as I've been acquainted with Unohana-san, and they'll take care of you. Plus," she cracked a small smile under her mask, "you can see Tesla again."

Sung-Sun smiled weakly. "Oh, I'm such a fool. And it's strange, really, you're actually talking this much. I-I'm due soon..." She took a huge shuddering breath. "I'm such a fool, I'm such a fool... I can make such snappy remarks but I don't even..."

"You'll be fine," Halibel reassured quietly. But she wasn't sure who she was reassuring - Sung-Sun or herself.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Oh man, AHAHAHA, I read the** **reviews and had to say something - I'm too much of a loser to consider killing any characters off D: I know it makes the story considerably better but I'm a sucker for 'everyone lives AUs' - basically why I wrote this story...heh. But stay tuned to discover whether Sung-Sun will die or if she and Halibel are overreacting over something really little, lol.**

**Usually, well now, I have pre-written content sitting in my documents folder and waiting to be edited and changed, so that's why updates are purty much irregular. And I admit I suck at some aspects of more mature topics, which is why they probably sound dodgy and lousy being read by the reader e_e**

The Evening Departure

The next few days - actually, it mightn't have been days as time travelled strangely in Hueco Mundo - passed by in a whizzing blur. Mila Rose, Apacci and Sung-Sun abandoned their usual snappiness and tendency to argue about every little thing in favour of helping Sung-Sun with her pregnancy. Halibel was astounded that she'd hidden it for so long, but maybe they hadn't really noticed. Maybe Sung-Sun was better at telling half-truths and lies than they thought, but hopefully for good reasons. She'd carefully planned it out, planning to flee into a more secluded area of Las Noches and then getting it over with. But Halibel knew the reason why Sung-Sun had chosen the abandoned ruins. No one would hear her screams and cries of pain, and she wouldn't have to be a burden to anyone.

Pregnant females _were _protective and secretive, but Sung-Sun knew she could rely on her family for help; Halibel, as den mother, would always be willing and the reason her fellow Fracciones bickered so much over petty topics was because nothing in their relationship was deemed big enough to pose an actual threat to their bond of being raised together after being rescued from a probable death in the desert. Halibel had to admit, they were all independent, but Sung-Sun maybe to a fault. She'd been hiding her bouts of nausea and vomiting by disappearing and passing it off as hunting... She supposed it was the snake in Sung-Sun that had been so excellent at deceiving people, even those closest to her.

She glanced sideways at the contraption the three mad scientists and their assistant had set up for Garganta use between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. They'd rigged up a giant, slightly rickety-looking machine with a quite unusual Reiatsu signature - Halibel found it slightly suspicious and familiar, and she didn't know why, nor could she recall where it was from - but it seemed trustworthy enough. And beside it was the machine Szayel had put together for sending messages through. So far it had just been business letters and Tesla's messages to Sung-Sun - she'd even deceived _him _and left him in the dark about her state - and then a few messages to and from miscellaneous members of their unity. All this was located in a not-so-well-known room in the palace, both the mailing system and the Garganta generator hooked up to a machine that connected the two realms together. Halibel didn't understand the complicated science behind it, nor did she want to. She didn't exactly have the best impression of the three men, although the young lady as decent, and at least _sane_.

Gantenbainne Mosqueda occasionally visited, sometimes only to receive letters he as so _very _secretive about, and Nirrge Parduoc roamed the palace too, insisting on offering his services. And one would often catch Charlotte Cuuhlhourne prancing around the empty halls or lending a hand in the now-finished reconstruction of Las Noches. And then there was Rudborrn Chelute, leader of the Exequias - which was really his own Calaveras from a Resurreccion technique - offering to defend them from any potential danger. They all seemed too... how should she put it... Nice and devoted. It was almost suspicious, as was the lack of knowledge of the whereabouts of her former colleagues and fellow Arrancar. But no matter.

"We're ready." Apacci and Mila Rose approached, flanking a nervous and still apologetic-looking Sung-Sun with Lilynette at the rear, herding them all along. Starrk was at Halibel's side, surveying them with masked concern showing clearly through his disinterested behaviour. Apacci glanced at the Garganta machine - apparently Kurotsuchi had built a prototype of it over a decade earlier, when the two nations were still at war. Halibel looked at them and nodded, waving her arm to beckon them forward. They shuffled along like small children - Lilynette excluded - and Halibel turned to Starrk.

"You and Lilynette will stay here and look after Hueco Mundo in my absence -which will probably not be long," she murmured. Starrk stirred.

"If it won't be for long, then I should come too," he insisted. "Extra insurance."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Of course it is!" Lilynette piped up, her eyes shining with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "You need us, the Primera, to keep everyone in line around your Fraccion! Starrk said so! Something about..." She screwed up her nose. "Uhh..."

Starrk twitched almost imperceptibly. "Please do not mention that, Lilynette," he muttered, but Halibel got what he meant. But it didn't exactly mean she agreed fully - her Tres Bestia were capable of taking care of themselves, and there were strict laws enforced. But if they really wanted to come... Halibel thought for a moment. It wouldn't be long, it really wouldn't... Sung-Sun would stay in Soul Society while the others returned to Hueco Mundo... She'd be in safe hands, as the Shinigami would keep the others in line, and that Unohana Retsu lady seemed nice and understanding enough...

"Fine," she said rather reluctantly. "But don't stir up trouble with your former killers. It was a war, and they were forced to."

Starrk inclined his head and Lilynette nodded vigorously, then thought for a moment and added, "But don't expect me to forgive that Shiro-jii for the battle!" Starrk and Halibel glanced at each other.

"Lily, I don't think he's that old - " Halibel began, but Lilynette pouted.

"I don't like him. Fine then, Shiro-_ji _if you insist," she said sulkily before stomping off in the direction of the Fracciones.

"Her pride is still wounded from being treated like a pup or Omega by him," Starrk explained to Halibel in an undertone. "She considers herself Beta in our, erm, pack, so to speak, and us two as the Alpha pair." He half-closed his eyes in a brooding expression that might or might not have signified impatience, thoughtfulness or plain drowsiness. "She doesn't take kindly to being treated like someone ranked that low." He cleared his throat. "So, shall we get going?"

"Yes, of course." Halibel walked back to the machine. It was Szayel's old button-controlled one he used to send the Arrancar flying to Seireitei, only reassembled. Closing her eyes, Halibel placed her hand on the sensor at eye-level on the blocky gray machine. It buzzed and hummed with energy and a mix of Reiatsu and Reiryoku, and assorted Reishi particles. She took several deep breaths and transferred some of her own Reiatsu into the machine. It hummed and buzzed with more velocity and almost seemed to glow with golden light, the colour of her Reiatsu. There was a horrible zipping sound, the trademark signal of the Garganta, and one opened up on the side of the wall, between two large antennae. The large machine regulating the link between the two worlds buzzed and whirred for a moment, and the Garganta's outlines took on a golden-yellow hue, being infused with Halibel's Reiatsu to feed the machine and uphold the link. Since it was two spiritual worlds, it was a whole lot more different - and more complicated - than simply travelling to the Human World and back. If that were the case they could have just used Descorrer and be done with it.

When she had infused it with a substantial amount of her plentiful Reiatsu, Halibel removed her hand from the circular sensor, caught Sung-Sun's eye and nodded, and the group walked into the gaping darkness of the Garganta, flanked by the Primera, one docile and his alertness very questionable, and the other usually boisterous but subdued as of now.

-::-

Ggio lay on his bed, throwing up a pair of socks rolled into a ball then catching it again, throwing it up, then catching it again. On and on the cycle continued, and he could pick up the sound of voices from upstairs, where Soifon, Yoruichi and Kisuke were gathered discussing a plan. Whatever it was, it should have been good. None of them were remotely 'fine' with their utterly humiliating defeat last time at the hands of a Sexta and an Octava - Grimmjow was prone to short rants on the subject of rank and strength - and the small party was disgruntled with the fact they hadn't gotten any more information. Oh well. At least they knew who it was that mutilated the Thirteenth Squad third seats, but justice, whatever it was, wasn't exactly done.

They still needed to find out where the other captured Shinigami were. They didn't have any idea of it, let alone if the officers were even dead or alive. The Arrancar hideout turned out to be nothing more than abandoned buildings and rubble, and Kisuke in his slightly suspicious and dodgy ways had eluded the authorities, successfully tricking them into thinking that it was a freak science experiment that ended up in explosions, blasts and smashed concrete. ...Modifying the memories of the witnesses with a device disguised as a cute key-ring decoration might have been a little over the top, and oh how Soifon had punched his face in when it had been brought to her knowledge. It brought a faint smile to his face as he remembered her flying in a frenzy of rage at the shopkeeper. But that just got him to worry more about his task to weasel information out of her by trickery and deceit.

It had also been troubling him that she seemed to be avoiding him in a way. No, not physically... but her actions seemed more guarded around him and her words were oddly formal, as old friends who hadn't seen each other for years would act, and then realizing that the other had definitely changed, and not knowing how to react. To him it seemed something like that. He'd be a dirty liar - psh, as if he wasn't already a liar - if he said that it didn't bother him, not even in the slightest. But he didn't know which part of him was more disappointed - the part that wanted to carry out the task for Barragan or the part, the significantly larger part, that liked Soifon, strangely enough. Maybe he'd sneak upstairs and join them in their little war council, and maybe try asking why she was avoiding him.

Prowling up the stairs in a remarkably catlike motion, he slipped past the walls and kitchen. His gaze was fixed intently on where the main room was, behind the wall, according to his memory. He concentrated so much on making his way there silently, that his ears, trained for footsteps behind him or anything that might have suggested he had been noticed, didn't realize Soifon's voice was not among theirs. And he also happened to not notice she was crouched behind him, having sneaked up on him as he attempted to eavesdrop.

"What are you doing?"

He whipped around and let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "Oh," he said. And then he attempted to regain his composure. "Um... I was trying to..."

She let out a barely audible sigh. "Eavesdropping. Just like a certain Vizard back in her lieutenant days." And that was the moment she suddenly replaced her newly-instated attitude of a stranger to him. "It was nothing. There were no updates, and the Arrancar are not there, so there are no battles to be fought, won or... lost." Her expression turned slightly sour. "They were just discussing products for Sandal Hat's shop and asked me on my opinion. You Arrancar weren't allowed because it was... well... Hollow repellent." And again she eyed him with guarded interest.

His mouth went dry. Here he was, in front of her, and he couldn't muster up the courage to ask why she was avoiding him. He scratched the back of his neck and blurted, "I wonder how Kuro's doing," instead. Almost immediately her blank face turned to one of mild anxiety.

"Omaeda's looking after him, but I'm not sure how they'll cope with each other... I got a message saying that he bit him on the hand twice and was missing us..." She shook her head slightly. "It must be nothing. Just..." She shook her head again and Ggio's faint frustration surged slightly. He hadn't missed the fact she was uncomfortably avoiding his gaze.

He glanced at the clock. It was evening, and another whole day had been wasted in favour of thinking perhaps the rogue Arrancar might have been more active at night, but no. But maybe there was something they could actually do... "The Shinigami from Squad Thirteen have been captured or something, right? Do you think maybe we could find some, uh, evidence or something on where they might be?"

"Perhaps." She took on a brooding expression for a moment then her head snapped up. "Are you suggesting we go out to investigate... tonight?"

He shrugged. "If you're on board with it, then yeah."

"It might be a good way to make up for the time we all wasted in the day," she concluded. "Do you think we should bring the other two Arrancar with us?"

"If you can find them."

"Then we leave at once." That left the both of them in a slightly awkward silence. Soifon wouldn't meet his eyes. He wanted to ask her what the big deal was, but then hurriedly decided against it, thankfully before opening his mouth because the chances of coming up with another replacement question that good was extremely low. Soifon rubbed her wrist and murmured, "So, let's go then..."

Bandages and injuries be damned, they were going to investigate. Ulquiorra was probably hiding out somewhere, Grimmjow slacking off as well... And Kisuke and Yoruichi probably didn't need to know where they were going. They would have been able to exit the shop undetected, but suddenly Soifon rummaged through the pockets of her jacket, the one Tatsuki owned but she'd grown to like wearing, and it wasn't there. Maybe she'd left it somewhere, but then she remembered she'd run out and then disposed of the dispenser. Cursing, she turned, but Ggio asked, "You coming or not?"

Soifon turned to face him. "I ran out of Soul Pills. I'm gonna go get one, then come back to you." She then exited the room. She wondered why her heart was beating so fast. It hadn't been this way before she turned to face him. Ha. She couldn't believe it. There was no way that she would _fawn _over that stupid Arrancar. Hell naw.

"Nah, I'll wait." Ggio sat himself down on a crate and twiddled his thumbs as he watched her slip into the next room. They were in their Gigai at the moment, and would be going in the guise of two friends on an evening walk, while trying to detect where the kidnapped - he sure hoped they weren't dead - Shinigami. Soifon walked into the next room, past Yoruichi and Kisuke who were both curled up on the couch watching a romcom, with cups that might have been filled with either tea or sake. Her heart panged slightly to see Yoruichi with him, but she berated herself for thinking like this. She'd given up on Yoruichi a long time ago. Years back, in fact. She frowned as she entered a small storage room, and rummaged around for something, a box maybe, that would contain Soul Pills.

She found several separate ones in a small box labelled Ginnosuke. Ah, the cat one. She took a handful of small, separate Gikongan, then went to find some other containers she could hold them in, brow furrowing as to why that slacker Kisuke hadn't bothered to fill up the Pez dispenser dopplegangers. Then again, he'd relied on Ururu and Jinta as assistants, or rather child slaves, she liked to think - she was far from fond of him - and perhaps without them he was incapable of running this run-down candy store. She found several empty Cranea-chan dispensers and thought, well maybe she'd have to make do with it. But she'd have to be careful not to confuse them with Ggio's if they ran into trouble, or had to use them for any other circumstances.

Making her way back to the front of the store, she nodded at Ggio, and told him about the dispenser. _Hopefully _she didn't, well, die from a mistaken swap. Because if she did, her reincarnation would magically find its way back here and throttle Kisuke, and maybe then she'd throttle the pink-haired Espada who was in league with him.

-::-

Kiyone hobbled out of her room on her crutches, wincing slightly as her injured limbs stretched. Her whole arm was in a sling and her forearm was in a cast, as was her ankle and on top of that she had to use crutches. But then again she wasn't expected to move around much until they healed enough for Captain Unohana to heal them fully, then she could go and run around and do as she liked. But that was the last thing on her mind at the moment as she made her way down the corridor to Sentarou's room. Poor Sentarou.

The door creaked ever-so-slightly as she opened it and closed it, sitting down in the chair beside his bed. It wasn't too late, so it wouldn't have been unusual for one to find her here, but she'd be ushered back into her own bed nevertheless. Reaching over with her uninjured arm, she brushed his hair out of his face gently. His headband had been forsaken for several bandages that went around his forehead but did nothing to hold back his hair which, as he was in hospital in no condition to move very well, had nowhere near the amount of hair gel he usually put on to look 'snappy'.

Kiyone smiled slightly as she remembered one instance where she'd caught him slicking his hair into those three, irritating points he loved so dearly. They'd also done away with the usual weird ropes on his shihakusho, and they were both dressed in a plain white yukata. she sighed and sat back, running the events of the ambush again and again in her mind, feeling dreadfully guilty. She wasn't prepared for when he opened his eyes a crack and whispered, "Kiyone?"

She jumped. "Whaaat? Oh, you're awake." She immediately brightened up, but her cheerful features then drooped, as did her petite frame as she felt an immeasurable ave of guilt. "I'm so sorry about the past events, I..." She ran a hand through her tawny locks. "I should have taken the beating, I really should have... Then you wouldn't be laying there like you're half dead!" she choked. Tears slid down her cheeks and her chin trembled.

"Hey, it's okay." He cracked a smile. "I'm not dying, just really sleepy." He squinted and frowned. "Shouldn't you be sleeping as well?"

"You obnoxious - " She swiped a hand over his head in mock anger, which may or may not have been relief in disguise. "You're so injured and unwell, yet you're worrying about me?!" Her voice rose to an almost hysterical tone. "What possessed you to be such a hero?! We both dragged our beaten, mangled bodies into the Senkaimon, me dragging your half-dead ass, and you have the _nerve _to ignore your own state, and - "

"Shut up, dammit!" he hissed, clapping a hand to her mouth. "Hah, it's great you're worrying about me, you dirty hypocrite, you're not even worrying about yourself!" He cut her off as she opened her mouth to yell a snappy retort. "I'm not just talking about your physical health, I'm also talking about your mental health. Stop beating yourself up over this!" He gave a feeble wriggle, seeing as he was all but wrapped up like a mummy; extra precautions insisted by a certain someone.

"Look at us, arguing over such petty topics." She snorted. "Just like old times, when we were fighting over every single little thing... And Captain Ukitake's attentions..." She blew air out of her nostrils. "And look we ended up. In a damn relationship with _each other. _Isn't that... uh... ironic?" she scrunched her nose up.

Sentarou flicked her on the forehead. "Idiot." Kiyone dragged the chair closer, and a horrible screeching noise ensued. "Stop!" He sighed. "Well, looks like Captain Ukitake loves another. We were both idiots at the time. Then we regained our common sense, then fell for each other, and - "

"And years of fighting, arguing and sexual tension followed," Kiyone said with a giggle. "As well as loads of make-outs."

"Dammit, you ruined the moment!" There was silence. Then Sentarou reached up and tipped her chin closer. "Well," he said softly, "it was the best stupid, idiotic decision I never got the choice to make."

"Yep," Kiyone agreed, tilting forward as much as her chair would allow it. Their lips met briefly, tenderly, then there was a soft knock on the door. They pulled apart and it opened to reveal a smiling Unohana Retsu, followed by a beet-red Ukitake. Kiyone blushed profusely, turning almost as red as Ukitake. Sentarou groaned and slapped his hand over his forehead, mindful of the bandages.

"I take it you heard everything," he said resignedly.

"Yes," Unohana beamed.

"Yes, everything," Jushiro mumbled, and if it were possible, reddened even more. "I didn't know the both of you had crushes on me."

Kiyone reddened further, rivalling Jushiro's blush. "I-it was a... a silly crush," she stammered.

"And... you know of Retsu and... I..."

"She does," Unohana supplied, "and it's also a good time for you both to go back to bed. Well," her bro furrowed, "we were waiting for Kotsubaki-san to wake up so we could conduct an examination. Nice to see you two getting along."

"Strange, I thought you two were together right from the beginning," Jushiro said confusedly. "You always argued like a married couple."

"Did not!" the pair retorted.

"And, that sums it up," Jushiro concluded. Sentarou just puffed his cheeks up disinterestedly and sighed through his nose.

"Well, you'd better get to bed now, Kotetsu-san," Unohana said gently, helping her up. "I'll try not to confuse you with Isane."

"Right." And Jushiro led her back to her own room.

* * *

**aaaagh, fuck I am such a worthless human being, I MISGENDERED DEAR YUUSHIROU ARgH. I feel like such a piece of shit for saying he was a girl, shitshitshit. I read the latest chapter, agh, so precious but damn - i fucked up so bad. god fucking dammit, i'm so sorry, yuu.**


	24. Chapter 24

Preparations

They walked down the street, hands in pockets, each avoiding each others gaze. Ggio sneaked a couple of glances at Soifon's face but she was still avoiding him, albeit in an awkward way. He didn't want to admit it made him slightly sad. Did she just... not like him? Well, as long as he was close and trusted with information he could relay to Barragan... wait. He hadn't visited Barragan in quite a while. Then again, did he even learn anything he didn't already know. Agh, this was useless.

"So... can you detect anything yet?" he asked awkwardly, glancing at her again. He caught her mumble a muffled 'no' into her jacket. "Well then..." The few people who were also walking down the street shot them a few strange looks, probably wondering what teenagers were doing at this hour, because the both of them could have probably also passed for 14 year-olds.

"I think we should just wait and see when we actually get to the abandoned district," Soifon murmured. It was rather cold, and their breath came out in soft steam. "It'll be easier that way."

"Mmph." They walked in silence, neither one daring to speak. Ggio wanted desperately to ask her why she seemed to be avoiding him, but was too... how did he put it... chicken. That and he didn't want to seem like a clingy, annoying prick. He remembered their bantering and snide comments during the battle, how he'd come to admire her a little, and up to this one, cold evening, where - dammit, he had feelings, and she didn't return them. Simple as that. But didn't they feel at least some closeness with each other? Friends at least? Dammit.

At long last they reached the abandoned buildings, in all their gray, run-down and smashed glory. Nobody had bothered to clean up the rubble. It would have made a wonderful setting for a horror movie. And they were the clueless victims, come hunting for angry spirits, but about to be ambushed and devoured. It made perfect sense. If it were a movie, he'd be all heroic and die first, but then she'd die anyway. But it was not a movie, the both of them were perfectly capable of holding their own and it looked as if the spirits were holed up in whatever other burrow they had, snoring away peacefully, unaware of them. And it wasn't even their intent to hunt down the spirits.

Ggio saw a slight flash of light and moved forward to investigate, but Soifon held out a hand, barring his way. "I sense something," she murmured. "The light isn't what it seems to be. And I think I have sensed the location of the missing Shinigami. Use your Pesquisa." He blinked, then did as she said, and found a faint signal. "Be on your guard..."

They crept closer, hands on their pockets to grab their Gikongan dispensers when necessary, and Soifon murmured something. Ggio kept his eyes fixated on the dot of light, which was drifting around aimlessly. "What is it?" he asked.

"An illusion here."

"Can you break it?"

"I'm not sure." Ggio just shrugged and slipped closer to the light, and that's when it all happened. There was a roar, the smashing of rubble and the both of them were thrown back. They both whipped out their Gikongan dispensers as the roar happened, and they were lying on the ground. A large, lumpy, fishlike Hollow lumbered out of the darkness of inside the building, its misshapen brown body lined with spikes dotted with lights. And there was an antenna-looking protrusion hanging down from its face, illuminating the most hideous head Ggio had ever lain eyes on. Wait, where was Soifon?

Two large, bulbous eyes glared out at them sightlessly, but with malice and killing intent. The There was a large, gaping maw lined with jagged teeth and it roared again. It should have had fins to complete the anglerfish look but instead it had short, stumpy legs which had flappy, almost-fins on them. The both of them scrambled back, fumbling for their Gikongan dispensers. Soifon was once again trapped under rubble, but with significantly less injury. She cursed the weak Gigai and struggled to heave a large piece off her chest. Ggio popped a Cranea-chan pill in his mouth and immediately his Arrancar spirit leapt out of the Gigai. Cranea-chan was left sitting on the ground in his body. He told it to go and hide, and it nodded meekly. He barely had time to wonder if that was what he looked like when he as being submissive when the Gikongan dispenser flew out of his grip as he dodged to his right, avoiding the large blast from the anglerfish Hollow's mouth.

Soifon had managed to heave the large piece of concrete off of herself with a combination of rage and willpower and she searched for her own Gikongan dispenser. She saw one laying on the ground and picked it up, consuming it in her panic that she could possibly _die_in this Gigai, with no means of defense. Nothing happened. She stared down and recalled finding a Cranea-chan dispenser, and swore, cursing her foolishness. She tried to stand and hobble over to the other one, hoping she didn't die, but a sharp, stabbing pain exploded in her abdomen. Gritting her teeth and ignoring it, she tried to make her way to the one she was sure contained Ginnosuke.

"Soifon!" Ggio cried. The Hollow roared, rearing, and a hole in its chest could be seen. Its mask covered its face and made more spiky protrusions that might have been teeth. Ggio snarled and in one, fluid motion leaped up and sliced down into its neck. The Hollow screeched, and he stabbed it through its lumpy, deformed back before sending it to Soul Society, something that was only tested recently. He briefly bathed in the feeling of pride, having dispatched it before _her,_a qualified captain before the realization of the situation hit him and he rushed to her side. Beckoning Cranea-chan - his Gigai? - closer, he re-entered the Gigai, disposing of the used Pill. He picked up the other one, putting them both in his pockets, memorizing which side was which - Shinigami and Arrancar - and shook her shoulder gently. "Did you...?"

"Yes!" she snarled, hunched over. She felt like she was being stabbed over and over again in various parts of her torso. "I am such a fucking FOOL!" she screamed. She rose to her feet, clutching her stomach, and without warning vomited up the contents of her stomach onto the ground, Ggio supporting her. She wiped away some bile that remained on her face with her hand and resolutely stomped back, intending to make her own way back to the Urahara Shoten before collapsing sideways. "Fucking... goddamned... piece of... shit..." She mumbled some more curses, intended for herself before Ggio picked her up again, feeling so much nostalgia from when she was buried under the rubble having saved him. She was barely conscious by the time he carted her back to the Urahara Shoten. Again, people shot them strange looks but he glared back, baring his teeth in a catlike form of aggressive defense and they backed away.

He kicked open the door to find Yoruichi and Kisuke organizing files. "Fuck, what do I do?" he yelled.

"Whoa, hang on," Kisuke reprimanded gently. They both walked over. "What happened?"

"W-we investigated and she... mistook her own Gikongan for mine..." He shot a desperate look at Kisuke. "What now?" he demanded.

"Calm down," Yoruichi murmured, taking Soifon from her. "Oh man..." She turned to Ggio. "Follow me, and tell me what you've discovered on that expedition. Funny, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra set out separately for similar reasons."

So Ggio relayed all the information to her, hovering around as Soifon was laid down on her own bed. Yoruichi and Kisuke nodded as Kisuke, having formulated something for these times, carefully tended to her. Everyone seemed to blame themselves, and Ggio felt, well, _bad_he had misplaced his Gikongan dispenser, and in the heat of the situation she had happened to pick it up. Kisuke blamed himself for not sorting the Gikongan into their own dispensers and seemed to think that's what let it happen. Yoruichi was beating herself up for not paying more attention.

"Well, I'm not sure if this is gonna work so..." Kisuke stood up and eyed Ggio gravely. "Stay with her until she wakes up, yeah?"

"While I'll help Kisuke get his shit sorted," Yoruichi murmured. Ggio was left sitting on a wooden chair, waiting and wallowing in guilt.

-::-

Halibel had sent Szayel a hasty message before they stepped into the Garganta, and she wondered whether or not the scientist had gotten it. Evidently, he had as he was waiting for them in the room with a rather nasty smile, sardonic smile. A sour faced Tesla was seated on a chair, and he kept shooting him dirty looks. Nemu was stnding silently at a computer, hands moving in a blur as she typed out paragraphs on the computer. "Well," Szayel began, turning to Tesla, "You can get up now." He kicked a button on the side of the chair and immediately the blond Arrancar shot out of his seat towards Sung-Sun and enveloped her in a hug, mindful of her hidden, swollen stomach.

"Oh, I was so worried," he murmured, burying his face in her hair, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I, ah," Sung-Sun swallowed, "I didn't want you to worry," she said sheepishly. "I was foolish and secretive, and I should have told at least someone. Hopefully it's not too late." She cast her eyes down as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Of course not," Szayel said sour-facedly. "Sit down, all of you." They all took a seat, Apacci on the chair Tesla was sitting in; Lilynette sat on a chair near Mila Rose, Sung-Sun with Tesla on the small couch and Starrk and Halibel took the remaining seats. "You're perfectly fine. It's not too late, as you put it." He glanced at his clipboard, then back up at them. "Sung-Sun has a pretty good idea of what she's talking about. But first."

"Get on with it," Apacci snapped, twiddling her thumbs to hide her anxiousness. Szayel narrowed his eyes at her then snorted.

"Of course. Between Adjuchas-class Menos, you can only mate with other individuals that are subspecies of your own base animal, due to the more... beast-like antomy and compatibility. Like, if you two were Adjuchas," he gestured to Tesla and Sung-Sun, "of course nothing would have happened. A warthog and a snake. You wouldn't have even gotten along, let alone been able to produce a youngling. And if you ascend to Vasto Lorde, you're humanoid enough to have broader mating choices, because," he spread his arms, "Vasto Lordes have power that allowed them to take on the shape and intelligence of a human. And Arrancar, whether Gillian, Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde, well, nothing even matters anymore. All they're going to end up with is a really wacky-looking Arrancar baby."

Sung-Sun's eyebrows rose and almost disappeared into her fringe.

Szayel scoffed. "Artificial Arrancar may not have been around for long, but naturally formed Arrancar have been around for eons." He adjusted his glasses-Hollow mask. "Take the Privaron Espada, for example. Bam, all naturally-formed Arrancar, before the Hogyoku. That was why Aizen scrapped them for... the newer models, as I would put it. But still, you really think they couldn't have mated together? Please." Nemu wiped her eyes in the background and sniffed. Szayel cast her a worried glance before turning back to them. "Since Arrancar are basically, erm, half Shinigami, and humans are the common ancestors of both, then..." He spread his arms. "Shit doesn't matter."

"No profanity around the baby," Mila Rose says half-heartedly. Tesla squeezes Sung-Sun's hand and she flashes him a smile.

"And here's where the human part comes in," Szayel said conspiratorially, making them all lean forward in their chairs. "There's a rather problematic flaw in human evolution. A human vagina stretches a _lot_during childbirth but it can only stretch so much. It simply cannot accommodate anything larger than a... say, a 9-month old human baby. Yet, babies are helpless, useless, squalling lumps until they learn to move at one or two months. They _need_to be nurtured inside the womb, but as I explained earlier, the vagina just cannot stretch that much to eject it, so mothers must give birth early, at around 9 months, and then care for the brat."

Sung-Sun puts a hand over her stomach, which was quite round. "Yeah, that's why I noticed I was due soon and panicked," she says quietly. Halibel lets out a shaky breath. Perhaps the reason she herself had died as a human was because she gave birth too late and couldn't handle the size. Her relief was immeasurable when Szayel said Sung-Sun was going to be okay.

"It's somewhat similar for hybrid Arrancar pregnancies, and you're about 6-7 months in, so you're due _very_soon. We've prepared a ward for you in the Sogo Kyugo Tsumesho for you, and Unohana is going to be overseeing the pregnancy. Really, you should have told someone medically aware at least." All this time he kept flashing glances at Halibel, knowing glances that made the lump in her throat grow. Starrk seemed concerned, but she catches his eye and shakes her head slowly. Szayel notices and smiles coldly at them.

"Don't worry, _Primera_," he says icily, "I'm not going to steal Tia from you." He laughs mirthlessly. "I'm happily caught up with Nemu, and I want to discuss something with you afterwards with Nemu. Psh. You can have your shark." Again he holds that horribly _aware_expression in his eyes. "In some cases, a Hollow will be infertile," he says smoothly, "and it can stay that way even after they have been altered by the Hogyoku and made into an Arrancar. They're never raise a child..." Halibel feels a tear trace down her cheek.

Her dearest Fracciones don't know. Lilynette knows. But Starrk does. And Szayel knows as well. As Nemu gives them directions to the Sogo Kyugo Tsumesho, Starrk tells Lilynette to tag along and goes up to Halibel. "What's going on?" he asks quietly.

"Nothing," Halibel murmurs, rubbing her arm nervously, "just that Szayel knows about my... well... yeah. Before I discovered myself at the Fake Karakura Town, I had terrible cramps of some sort which were... somewhat synonymous with my locked memories. I went to him for an examination, and it was a huge shock to him and then I-I told him. He didn't seem that surprised afterwards." She swallowed. "Just, go on with the others," she says, "and make sure Apacci and Mila Rose don't destroy anything." She walks back over to Szayel and Nemu. "Evening, Nemu-san?"

"Good evening," the girl murmurs.

Szayel eyes Halibel intently, arm slung around Nemu. "Nemu here is, well, infertile also. We had a recent check up to find her creator didn't bother to gift her with reproductive systems, apart from... the usual. Your Hollow hole is a void, and prevents you from forming a child, right? It's similar to Nemu's. Mayuri left her with nothingness other than her other internal organs, so she doesn't get periods and cramps, like you, Tia. You two could discuss it sometime; I'm sure it will make for... interesting topics." He clapped her on the shoulder. "I don't think any of the other female Arrancar are infertile either, nor any of the Shinigami... although there might be..."

Nemu's face was miserable, and Halibel's outer mask was damp with tears. So they couldn't have children of their own. She felt terribly sorry for the young girl, but confusion... "You were created?" she said slowly.

"Yes." Her face as now eerily blank. "I was built."

"Ah." Halibel didn't pursue the topic further. As she examined Nemu's face, she had to say it was rather remarkable... But her wonder plummeted when she realized the alienation she most probably had to go through, as well as years of being told that she was nothing more than a robot. It was somewhat similar for the females of Hueco Mundo, forced to be submissive, obedient beings because of their sex. And so Apacci, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun had grown up with harsh disgust for that misogynistic, sexist attitude, as she had raised them so, and felt waves of misandry for a long time until she'd panicked and told them to view all genders as equal, not females above others. But the situation was similar for Nemu, and she couldn't help but pity her. "Well then..."

"I will accompany you to your Fraccion's ward," Nemu said quietly. She noticed the pitying look on Halibel's face. "Don't worry, the sociopath who build me is long dead. You have heard about Kurotsuchi Mayuri's death? Yes? I had to deal with years of abuse - physical and emotional - because he threatened to disassemble me if I so much as talked or showed emotion at the wrong times. But one good thing is that I have almost perfect mastery of my emotions..." She trails off.

"It must have been horrible," Halibel murmurs, falling into step with her.

"Yes... Szayel... saved me from that, and I found my own path after that, and learned to let go and not let it bother me. They're considering making me captain of the Twelfth Division lately, and I don't have to worry about - about _him_anymore." She smiles a little. "We're here." And she opens the door.

-::-

Barragan clasps his hands together. "The queen and her loyal subjects are out of Hueco Mundo," he crows triumphantly. "It's time to start the plan." The assembled Arrancar are seated on various boulders inside the cave. Loly and Menoly have their arms slung around each other, seated on a rock, and Loly's acting rather flirtatiously towards Menoly, making the taller girl blush. Medusa is cooing over the two girls' budding romance - it's a wonder how she knows what they're doing even without a way to see, and Marcelo snorts. Aaroniero is discussing things with Ramos, who only moves to nod and shake his head. Nirgge, Poww and Cuuhlhourne are sitting bunched together, gazes locked onto Barragan.

Zommari clears his throat. "I think Barragan has something to say," he says. And miraculously everyone's attention is diverted to Barragan, who glowers at them all. Loly glares back, shooting him the dirtiest look she can muster while Aaroniero snorts and smacks her with the hilt of Glotoniera.

"As I said, the 'queen' of Hueco Mundo has gone to the Shinigami realm, as well as the other strongest Arrancar have left too. Las Noches is practically defenseless! We will have to send attackers soon, to break communications with Soul Society." He taps his nose. "Luppi, Wonderweiss, Aisslinger and Demoura are breaking Soul Society's communication with the Human World right as we speak. And afterwards…" He gazes around them all. "We can take back Las Noches while those idiot scientists find a way to repair the communications. The very _moment _Tia Halibel steps foot in Hueco Mundo again, she dies. As will the wolf and his sister. We will spare her Fracciones," and there is a pleased nod from the Privaron Espada.

"And who will be heading the patrol?" Cuuhlhourne asks, flipping a mane of tangled violet curls over his shoulder. Nirgge and Poww were positively quivering with anticipation in overthrowing Tia Halibel.

"Medusa," he says promptly. "She will oversee the proceedings with Rivera - we'll need him into Soul Society, and the team there are probably waiting as of now - and Nirgge will accompany them, weeding out any surviving weaklings." Barragan chuckles. "After this, _no one _in Soul Society will be able to travel to Hueco Mundo or the Human World, and _no one _will be able to get from either Hueco Mundo or the Human World into Soul Society. Access is barred, and as for the Dangai," his eyes slide to Ander Ramos, "We will explore that shortly."

"And so the revolution starts," Zommari says gravely.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I've started a new story called Street Magic, an UlquiHime fic! ^^ I ship Orihime with too many people, but settled with Ulquiorra for that one. This chapter is goofy and light-hearted... sorta... yeah.**

Animals

Ggio is contemplating going over to the kitchen and getting some of that sake Yoruichi was drinking earlier – apparently it was good for dealing with plummeting spirits and misery. He just gets up to leave, running a hand through the scruffy, black hair under his mask when she stirs and mumbles something. He stops in his tracks. She groans and sits up, blinking her eyes open, and he returns to the chair, a worried expression on his face. "You okay?"

"I feel like shit," she grumbles, reaching over for the bucket and without warning, throws up again. It takes Ggio off-guard and he politely averts his eyes, half to avoid watching her empty out the contents of her stomach into the bucket. She's done, and she spits into the bucket, wiping her mouth savagely with the back of her hand. "I deserve that."

"No, you don't," he insists sullenly, "it was my fault. We might have both forgotten, but it was my fault I dropped the Gikongan dispenser near you while you couldn't see, or find your actual one. I'm the one to blame. Not you." She doesn't answer, just sits there in silence while washing out her mouth with the glasses of water on the bedside table - Kisuke really _had _thought of everything, and he clears his throat uncomfortably. "Well, I'll, uh… go up to tell the others, and maybe help out."

He gets up to leave and almost makes it to the door, when he hears her murmur, "It's not your fault." A thin, but strong and firm hand grabs his wrist. "Don't go," she says in a small voice. She intends to grasp his wrist and just – stop him from leaving but she'd misjudged and ended up pulling him over, sending him toppling. He yelps and regains his balance, propping himself up on the side of the bed with an arm. Their eyes meet and he swallows.

Their noses almost touched and yet neither of them moved. _'Damn it,' _he thinks, hardly daring to breathe_, 'She's not just some pretty ornament to look at.' _And yet he couldn't bring himself to make a move. _'Fuck it, I'll know if she doesn't want me if she moves away.' _But they stayed like that in their awkward silence, and then, without thinking, he leaned forward tentatively and their lips met. Miraculously, she didn't back away or reject him.

In fact, she leans into him, kissing him with more passion than he had begun with, and soon enough she has her arms wrapped around his neck. He dimly notices her lips are surprisingly soft, but there's several loud thuds and suddenly they pull away, gasping to retrieve their breath. Soifon suddenly looks mortified, burying her face into her hands. "Ugh... I'm such a fool..." And she begins laughing mirthlessly, and it sounds oddly liked choked sobs. "I shouldn't have... Should have never... Dammit!" she snarls into her palms. "I'm once again the useless damsel because of a _stupid _mistake, and I had to rely on you to lug my useless body here!"

Her shoulders are shaking. Ggio is frozen with shock, the gears in his brain whirring as he tried to process this. "Y-you - "

"A-and then... this happened!" She shook even harder. "I can't believe I actually started liking you, sometime, I can't even," her hands drop to her sides and she shoots a hateful glare at the bedcovers. A tear rolls down her cheek as she mutters, "No... No, not again..." And she buries her face in her hands again. "I'm such a fool..." She begins to smack her own head. "Fool, fool, fool..."

"What of me?" Ggio demands.

"It's not your fault," she mumbles. "I-it's my own stupidity... I'm sorry." And she turns away from him shamefully. Ggio is dumbstruck, unable to move.

Kisuke's voice floats down the stairs, laced with sullen undertones. "Ggio! I've got the, um, prototype ready!"

Ggio turns away and stands up, stretching his limbs. "Well, I guess I'll just go then..." He makes his way to the door. And this time, she doesn't try to stop him.

He meets Kisuke near a low trapdoor. "Everything alright?" Kisuke asks, brow furrowed in concern. "She's not still unconscious, is she?"

"No, she's fine," he answers a bit too moodily. Kisuke raises an eyebrow but doesn't pursue the topic.

He clasps his hands together. "Well, I've got the little machine ready, and could you be the one to test it out for me? Yeah, get out of your Gigai, you won't need it for this..." The Ggio replica falls to the ground, lifeless, while Ggio examines his Arrancar uniform. "I have no idea where the others are..."

"Sure."

"Alright then! Down the ladder we go, into a cavern. I've refined it a little, but I, ah, I'm mostly using it for storage." He grins sheepishly. "You might find a pile of odd stuff in there." Again, there's a loud banging noise that sounds like giant hailstones crashing into a metal trashcan lid. "What even...?" Kisuke opens the trapdoor for Ggio and the Arrancar drops down the ladder, landing on a rocky pillar. He moves out of the way just in time for Kisuke to drop down beside him, landing ungracefully on his rump. He stands up and rubs his backside, and then - "Grimmjow, what are you doing?" Kisuke cries, scrambling over. "How did you get down here?"

The blue-haired Arrancar shrugs. He's found a drum set and is experimentally smashing the ride cymbal with one of the drumstick, causing them all to wince. "I found this, and saw it somewhere else... I figured this place was, uh, abandoned." And he gestures over to a small overhang where a black lump hangs from it. "And Ulquiorra got into far more trouble than me!" he snickers. "Dipshit-Emospada got turned into a bat!" He howls with laughter. "Who woulda thought that one of your old contraptions down here actually _worked_?"

"What the fuck," Ggio says finally. His misery is one of the last things on his mind as of now as he leaps off the pillar. "How even..."

Grimmjow shrugs. "No idea. But I can do this now." He bangs on the drum set, stomping on the bass drum's pedal and Ggio winces. He doesn't seem to notice. "Hey, d'you think I could smuggle this into Soul Society? I've got plans for it," he grins wickedly.

"Nah, there was a story about how a lieutenant smuggled a motorcycle into Soul Society and got his ass whooped by the higher-ups," he shrugs. They look at Kisuke flapping his arms at the bat hanging down from the overhang, and go over to investigate. The bat - Ulquiorra's present form - was covered in shaggy black fur with wings covered in a fine black fuzz. It turns to reveal a face resembling one of a flying fox, or a fruit bat - even though one would have thought Ulquiorra to be more of the vampire bat type. He blinks, the same slitted, vivid green eyes still there but the tear lines gone.

"What have you done, Urahara?" he asks flatly. Kisuke stares, then bursts int wheezy giggles. Ulquiorra's voice is strangely high-pitched and squeaky, and he sounds extremely _weird _with that voice. It's hard to believe that this fluffy flying rat is Ulquiorra, the fearsome fourth Espada. "Do not laugh. I will smite you."

"Oh, you're too cute!" Kisuke chortles, flapping a hand. "Don't worry, you'll receive special training for you to be able to get out of that form."

"Good - "

"Good heavens, _what the fuck happened_?!" Yoruichi's cat form is bristling at Kisuke's feet, tail lashing around in the air. "Ulquiorra?!" She stops bristling in favour of sniggering behind a raised paw, very un-catlike. "No, don't train him, leave him like that!"

"Get me back into my original form, I command you," Ulquiorra says. "Cero Oscuras!" But a small black blast, emanating from the thumb claw of his wing, quickly dissipates and everyone starts laughing again. Ggio can almost forget his anguish in the midst of this lighthearted moment.

"Oh, Ulquiorra, what have you done?" Kisuke roars with laughter. "Think about what's gonna happen if Inoue-san sees you like this!" Ulquiorra's eyes widen ever so slightly, his already slitted pupils dilating further into narrow black lines.

"Get me out of this form." And he dives at Kisuke, wings flapping wildly while he utters a piercing screech over and over again, limbs flailing. Kisuke stumbles around, yelling, and Grimmjow rolls on the floor, laughing. Yoruichi isn't helping Kisuke either, instead laying on the ground comfortably while Kisuke yells, "Not the hat! Anything but the hat!" Ggio snorts and moves forward, kicking Kisuke's legs out from under him and dragging the screeching bat off him. Ulquiorra hisses and thrashes violently while Ggio curses, a stream of colourful language issuing from his mouth. Eventually Ulquiorra quiets down, lapsing into a sulky silence while Kisuke tends to the scratches on his face. Ggio gladly relinquishes him to an overly-reluctant Grimmjow, who protests. Ulquiorra states that he doesn't want any of them touching him and Ggio tells him to suck it up and deal with it.

"You will pay," Ulquiorra glowers at him, wings hanging at his sides awkwardly while Grimmjow looks as if he wants to sink into the ground. "Unhand me."

"I wish," Grimmjow snarls.

"Ladies, ladies, settle down." Yoruichi hops onto Kisuke's shoulder, tail flicking at a white cube laying on the ground. "Ulquiorra, where are your clothes? The animal transformations don't need clothes," and an obviously lecherous smirk crosses her furry face, "and they have to be somewhere." Ulquiorra probably blanches from underneath the fur. If he was in his humanoid form, his deathly pale skin would have probably turned even whiter.

"Over there," he mutters, waggling a wing in the direction of a small, bunched up pile of clothes. "Useless bat form." Yoruichi snorts. "Come with me. And Ulquiorra, you can go now but don't claw Kisuke's face out again." Grimmjow is more than eager to get the bat away from him; he practically flings Ulquiorra into the air while the Cuatro-turned-bat screeches and flails wildly, unable to gain balance and plummets to the ground, landing unceremoniously in a heap at Ggio's feet. Ggio snorts. The former Cuatro was rarely unprofessional.

They followed Yoruichi to a box, lined with cracks and edges, and through the cracks pulsated blue-purple energy. They all led down to a round crevice in the middle of one of the sides and they all peered inside, where a small shard of what looked like semi-translucent blue-purple stone rolled and rotated around, lines of blue and purple Reiryoku swirling and moving over the shard. It was connected to the white cube by strands of Reishi of the same colour, and all three Arrancar seemed uncomfortable in close proximity with it. It seemed familiar, and even Yoruichi seemed unnerved. "Well then... The two of you, place your palms on the opening, Ggio first because he's closer... Yeah, that's it."

Ggio gingerly reached out and places a palm over the source of the energy. It definitely felt familiar now. Unpleasantly familiar, reminding him of Aizen's reign, and a sequence of transformations. He's dimly aware of Yoruichi telling him to absorb some of its energy, and he does that. It's really unpleasant now... familiar too... "Whoa, what the hell?!" He's jerked back to reality as he finds his body shrinking, bones cracking and shifting as he lurches forward, buried in oversized clothes. He opens his mouth to yell something but instead a rough, gravelly _meow _escapes his mouth - muzzle. Definitely a muzzle, covered in tawny brown fur. He dimly registers Grimmjow's astonished exclamations and Yoruichi's calm, level voice. And then he twitches the long thin limb on his ass - what the fuck, a tail?

He yowls in delight, knowing he has a tail again, then he wriggles out of the limp white cloth restraining him and hurtles out into the open. "This is crazy!" he cries, then stiffens. He can talk, and his voice is about an octave higher like a regular cat. Now, he's heard of how cougars sound absolutely ridiculous, but his voice... Grimmjow's slapping his knee and Yoruichi ambles up to him, sniffing.

"You're bigger than me," she says enviously, stalking away. Ggio snorts. He's a large feline, covered in shaggy, matted, tawny-golden fur with tufted ears and a long furry tail. One would have thought he'd be an actual sabre-toothed tiger, but they were bulky and not build for speed, evidently, instead being ambush attackers. Ggio's is more lean-built and streamlined, and whereas the sabre-toothed tiger, or Smilodon, has a stump for a tail Ggio's tail is long, almost as long as his body, and covered with the same brown fur. He supposes it must have something to do with his other physical form. If he was an actual Smilodon, he would have been bigger and more bulky, not small and fast... But at least his Tigre Estoque El Sabre corresponds to the more animalistic qualities of a Smilodon Hollow. He still has the fangs though, and they feel slightly awkward, hanging over his bottom lip and chin in a massive overbite. Oh well. He'd get used to it. But his mind lingers on Soifon's offhanded rejection, making his ears flatten slightly.

"Okay, Grimmjow, your turn," he says simply, flicking his tail. Grimmjow narrows his eyes and jerks his hand forward, absorbing some of the energy. He then hunches forward, letting out an earsplitting screech that has Ulquiorra flapping wildly and flying away, uttering wheezy, high-pitched growls. Grimmjow takes the form of an even larger feline, with rounded ears, the same icy blue eyes and a bulky, muscular body covered in fine black fur. He snorts and wriggles out of his Espada uniform, which is in turn slightly easier - it was just a small jacket - and harder - his pants caught on his altered hind legs and claws. He wriggled and thrashed until Yoruichi came forward and hooked her claws at the bottom of his hakama, helping him get out of it.

"This is wicked," Grimmjow growls happily, and they all jump. His own voice is deepened, becoming the rough, raspy voice of a wildcat's roar, not unlike Yoruichi's, but Grimmjow's altered voice is deeper. "Fuck yeah!" Yoruichi's ears flatten in obvious envy. A black cat - and larger and even more intimidating than she is!

The two large felines sniff around, exploring their new forms while Ulquiorra lays on his back in the dust, flapping his wings aimlessly, looking like he's seen all the horrors of the world in the span of 5 minutes. Yoruichi sits, exasperated, on a rock and lets them get used to their new forms.

Meanwhile Soifon appears suddenly, still dressed in Tatsuki's borrowed clothes and sits on the side of the large pillar. Kisuke clambers back up and they exchange a few words, but she's content to just sit and watch, knees drawn up to her face and nose buried in her arms. She eyes the three felines, two black blobs and one pale brown, as well as the black speck wriggling around amidst the dusty ground. So that's what their form is like. She wishes she could turn into a cat, but Yoruichi's talent was probably inherited from the Shihoin line, whereas the Feng Clan was just an average, regular, lower-class clan, servants to the Shihoin Clan and assassins, the whole lot of them, minus a few exiles who failed the exam and were cast out. They still had the family house though, but it had probably fallen into disrepair as Soifon hated visiting that place.

She stiffened. She'd forgotten about visiting her dead brothers where they were buried... The date was coming up soon and she was stuck in the Human World... But then again they weren't staying for long, so she'd just be able to visit them when she got back. She would visit her mother, apologizing for being a difficult baby, one that caused her death when she was born... and her father's grave? She was surprised at herself for having not trashed it yet and set it on fire. Perhaps she'd do that. It sounded like a good plan.

Back at the training area, Yoruichi flicks her tail in indignation. "Alright, ladies, get up!" she roars, and all three of them perk to attention. Ulquiorra crouches, ambling over awkwardly on unsteady hind legs and thumb-wing-claws. "Are you used to your new form now? Yes? So now you have to show me how good you are at combat in your new form. Alright! Kisuke," he perks up and hurries over, "get the inflatable Gigai. They'll need something to fight and it might as well be inflatable clones of you, minus the scratches."

Over at the pillar, Soifon snorts. She can hear Yoruichi, and might just ask for an inflatable Urahara Gigai to practice her combat skills on too. She then dropped the idea. Yoruichi might get the wrong idea and tease her mercilessly about something from years back, back when... She doesn't want to dwell on it. She had enough of thinking about it with Ggio around, she didn't want to linger on... when she loved Yoruichi, and not in the family sense. Old crushes died hard, and it had taken her years of getting rid of it, replaced by bitterness. She knew she didn't have to be so harsh with Ggio, but... she didn't want a repeat of being betrayed and left behind, and that might just happen someday... Arrancar didn't have hearts anyways. So they couldn't love, could they?

She watches as Yoruichi trains the Arrancar in their new forms until they can actually control their new body fully, and they swipe at the Gigai, Kisuke wincing as he sees his 'beautiful' clones getting sliced to pieces. Ulquiorra stares at him directly in the eyes, slitting the Gigai's throat with a claw slowly and tossing it away as far as his tiny form can throw it. Kisuke cringes. Yet Soifon's mind dwells on the horror she felt seeing Ggio's Gigai lying lifelessly on the floor in front of the trapdoor, then realizing it was just the Gigai... how foolish. Hours probably pass, and Yoruichi's now instructing them on how to transform back.

"'Kay, so you're now enveloped in the energy you absorbed... Now release it... It will still be there, but just distance your consciousness from it. Like, tell your Zanpaktou spirit to stop rolling around in it or something," she adds when Ulquiorra hops over and whispers something. Ggio tells Tigre Estoque mentally to stop playing with the funny Reiatsu.

_'I'm not playing with it, boss, it feels too weird and... eugh. Sure, I'll get away from it. It seems like it's meant to be with us or something...'_

"Done? Now, you'll - wait, argh!" She averted her eyes and Soifon dropped an f-bomb, whipping around and covering her eyes with an arm as three very naked Arrancar crouched on the ground on all fours then straightened up, groaning. She didn't see any of it, thankfully. There was a moment when they seemed to realize they weren't covered in either clothes or fur anymore, then colourful language as they covered their crotches and dived for their Espada uniforms, struggling to put on fundoshi and hakama. Ulquiorra looked positively mortified.

And all the while Kisuke watched on in plain horror, hands lifted halfway to his eyes. "Fuck, I can't unsee that."

"Yeah, uh," Yoruichi ceased averting her eyes. "That happens, so... er... yeah." She snorts. "Not that any of you are actually bad-looking anyway," she smirks. "Stop the puppy-face, Kisuke," she says irritably as Kisuke pouted. "Now get your not-so-furry asses up there! And hopefully you can rescue the Shinigami, wherever they are." She locks eyes with Soifon and seems to smile reassuringly. Soifon nods and climbs up the ladder before the other three Arrancar can. "Amateurs," Yoruichi grumbles jokingly.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **So, uh... Imma answer questions. And stuffs. I apologize if this chapter seems half-assed, I'm not exactly compelled to write much these days... Can't bring myself to, but I try. And yeah...

**Darkmachines: **Welp, the Quincy... they aren't exactly planned out for this story, due to being relatively new, and honestly they completely slipped my mind... But they might appear in other stories I'll write... probably... eheh

**Crimson Homura: **Oops OAO I'll change it! And fix other mistakes when I see them. xD tbh, I wasn't planning Ulquiorra on helium but it seemed like a good thing to do... Sure, I'll make him appear more :D

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOIFON! :D**

Riot

Ggio overhears voices from the storeroom at the back where Soifon found the Gikongan. Kisuke had already re-ordered them so that no more mishaps could occur... As it was, Soifon still blamed herself, but they'd been avoiding each other for quite some time now. No one else seemed to notice the tension in the air between them... but Yoruichi. Damn, the cat-woman was perceptive, and infuriatingly so. But it had come out as nothing more than shifty looks that held a lot of sass and meaning. Needless to say, she wasn't helping. Ggio walked forward, and the conversation seemed... heated between Yoruichi and Urahara. What he heard made his blood run cold, and he didn't dare let himself be known.

"Damn it, Kisuke!" Yoruichi roared, flinging a box over his head. She was in humanoid form as of now, and Kisuke ducked, hands in the air. Yoruichi was furious. "How could you do this?! What the actual fuck? W-we thought that _thing_had disappeared!"

Kisuke dodged another box thrown and smashed behind his head with a wince. "I can explain, Yoruichi-san!" he tried to amend but she glowered at him.

"Drop that fucking suffix," she snarled, "Don't you see? That... that sphere was nothing but trouble. Sure, it saved Hirako'n the others but fucking - DAMMIT!" She whipped around and slammed her fist into the wall with a thud. There was a dent and her knuckles were bleeding. "It caused s-so much... so much trouble," she growled, her voice trembling slightly. "And it got stolen!" She turned and pointed a finger at Kisuke, rivulets of blood dripping from the torn-open skin on her knuckles.

Kisuke had his hands up reminiscent of a suspect with guns pointed at them, being apprehended by police. "I'm sorry, Yoruichi," he said evenly, "but I had my reasons."

"Damn-fucking-straight, you did." Yoruichi glowered at him. "But those reasons came _very_close to bullshit. Absolute bullshit! Do you had ANY idea what would happen if it got into the wrong hands?!" she screeched, wringing her hands. "Aizen caused a shit ton of trouble with it, and you think everything's gonna be all fine-and-dandy because you've got it? Some of the Arrancar didn't need to have second chances, you could tell, and-and..." She put her head in her hands, ignoring the blood. "Fuck... You just gave them another chance to steal it."

"That's why I'll make sure it doesn't get stolen," he told her, eyeing her cautiously. "Not all Arrancar are completely evil. They were just - misled. That's all. It was their orders to fight the Gotei 13, and they were overpowered in the end. And who knows - maybe the missing Arrancar are just off making cookies?" He tried for a smile but Yoruichi squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"Not all Arrancar," she mimicked, "not all Arrancar. They say 'not all men' either, 'not all candies', because they're not _all _poisoned or bad - but we still have to be cautious!" She opened her eyes. "Look, I agree with you - the Arrancar may have just been misled, but you still ought to have destroyed it first chance you get! Second chances aren't always good, a-and sometimes," she added bitterly, voice cracking slightly, "we don't need second chances." And she sat down on the floor, cradling her fist which she had only just realized was bleeding, now caked in dried blood.

Kisuke leaned down and put an arm around her, and she didn't push him away. he paused for a moment before saying, "Look, I know you think this is a terrible idea, but second chances - well, everyone deserves a second chance, don't they? Even you. You deserved one, and... well, you got one. Maybe the Arrancar can handle it, maybe they can't and we'll have to eliminate them."

"So the Hogyoku deserves a second chance too?" Yoruichi asked bluntly, crossing her arms. She then reached up to scrub at her eyes.

"Even the Hogyoku."

There was a thud outside as Ggio, having dragged himself away, collapsed in a heap in front of the sink.

-::-

Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and an ashen-faced Ggio assembled in front of the store in Soul form, and Soifon was talking with a tired-looking Yoruichi, Suzumebachi planted firmly into the ground beside her. "Look, we'll find the captured Shinigami, send them off to Soul Society and be done with this bullshit," Soifon hisses at Yoruichi, who merely sighs and casts a weary glance at Kisuke.

"Sure, okay," Yoruichi mutters. She seems wary but tired, and Ggio can't help but feel... resentful. Also, what did she mean 'even she needed a second chance'? What even happened in the past? Did Yoruichi do something terrible? He didn't have time to ponder these questions before they set off in the direction of the abandoned buildings, where they'd discovered the illusions and the anglerfish-looking Hollow.

The buildings were eerily quiet, but Soifon and Ggio knew better than to lower their guard. They all did. And before they knew it, they'd found the wall of illusions again. Soifon couldn't meet Ggio's eye, and it was vice versa, and only Ulquiorra seemed to notice the tension in the air between the two, eyes glancing between the both of them with mild interest. He didn't say anything.

Ggio only scowled and slashes his sword in a wide arc, barely missing the worn-away pillars that the roof stood upon, and the unpleasant odour of sickness wafts out, making the four of them wince and wrinkle their noses in disgust before looking on into the darkness. Soifon narrows her eyes to slits and enters first, trailed by the three Arrancar.

There were several silhouettes in the darkness - about 9-10, all wearing battered white yukata, their eyes and cheeks sunken and all of them bore wounds and signs of distress. And from the wounds the foul-smelling odour emanated. And all their wrists were slit, with barely-healed wounds that looked suspiciously like fang marks. Soifon hurried over at once, brows furrowed, to a withered-looking soul hunched over an unconscious woman. "Kobayashi! Daisuke Kobayashi!"

The man lifted his head. He had shaggy brown hair, rather thick eyebrows, and had a short beard, almost stubble. "C-captain Soifon?" he said. He looked broken but his eyes still had a steely glint to them. "You finally found us," he murmured, giving the woman on the ground a gentle shake. "I'm afraid..." He wet his lips, which were dry and chapped, "We are no longer Shinigami," he said finally, voice trembling slightly.

Soifon looked taken aback. "They got your Saketsu and Hakusui?" she asks, her voice becoming sharper. "You lost your powers?"

Kobayashi nodded, and fidgeted with some barely-healed scars on his arms, uncovered by the ripped and torn yukata. "We are no more than - than mere souls now. The butterfly-looking Arrancar... She got us. She leeched our powers and left us here to rot and die," he said bitterly.

Grimmjow sauntered over. "What are we waiting for?" he demands. "Just send them off to Soul Society and we can get this shit over and done with." Ulquiorra joined them, having poked around the building. It looked rather like a large garage, but caked in dust. The other former Shinigami eyed the Arrancar warily, and Kobayashi drew the woman closer.

"Yes we should..." Soifon murmurs. Then she straightens up. "They will need to go through the Dangai, as they are not Shinigami anymore, nor do they have Jigokuchi to guide them." She eyes Kobayashi, who apparently has the most authority. "Get them all outside. I will create a Senkaimon. Make sure they can all move through. Do you need one of us to guide you?"

Kobayashi inclines his head. "That won't be necessary, ma'am. But..." Again he looks down at the woman on the ground, then at the other souls mulling around, tending to their wounds. "Perhaps some healing Kido? We will explain to the Captain Commander... It seems we must go back to living in Rukongai, seeing as... We cannot regain our powers."

-::-

Ggio perches on a rock, tapping his foot against the ground as Soifon finishes up healing the worst of the wounds. The black-haired woman with Kobayashi was his sister, placed into the same squad as him although before he joined. He stands up and scratches the back of his neck as Soifon, looking slightly pale, positions herself. She raises her sword and it glows white, then lowers it and jabs it into thin air, twisting around, seeming to twist the very fabric of reality. A portal opens, and shoji doors form. They slide open and she steps back. Kobayashi nods to her and leads the souls inside. They will have to pass the Dangai, and Soifon prays the Kototsu isn't there, or they will all be destroyed.

Sheathing Suzumebachi, she turns back to the others. "We'll go back to Urahara's for now, but we'll leave _very soon_." She says it like she hates the place and wants to get back as soon as possible, which isn't very far from the truth. She wants to get back to her usual duties and not have Ggio hanging around like a lost kitten in even closer proximity, without all the squad members and ninjas around. She doesn't trust herself to love without getting hurt again, and a small part of her that she's furious with doesn't trust _him_.

They all use Sonido - Soifon using Shunpo - to get back to the Urahara Shoten quickly. All she wanted to do was sleep, but there came the sound of yelling, shouting and things being smashed. Ggio just groaned. Yoruichi and Urahara seemed to be having another fight. They entered the store, entering their Gigai soon after, to find the yelling and shouting coming from a usually-locked room, presumably Kisuke's lab. Soifon made to usher the others away, but Ulquiorra had no intention of leaving.

Grimmjow had no qualms about intruding either. He advances and kicks open the door, it swinging inside and slamming against the doorstop to reveal a ransacked office, vials of liquid smashed on the ground and several mechanical contraptions ruined and destroyed too. And Ggio blanches as Yoruichi bellows, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S GONE?!" He fully well _knows _what they're talking about. But he keeps silent. He has a pretty good idea of just _what _the scene in front of him was about. And who that might have taken 'it'.

Kisuke seems equally enraged, but not at her, and he kicks something on the floor. Just noticing the four standing silent in the doorway, he glances once at Yoruichi, then back at them. In a barely controlled voice, he says, "Please leave us," without meeting their eyes. And shuts the door quietly.

Soifon, visibly shaken, now pushes a shell-shocked Grimmjow, a mildly astonished Ulquiorra and a deathly-pale Ggio back, away from the door, and somehow, she meets Ggio's eyes. She quickly looks away and misses the slight hurt flashing over his face, but it's apparent when she glances up again, from his set jaw to his stormy eyes. She'll have to deal with it later, but she just doesn't know how.

The yelling starts up again, followed by more smashing as Yoruichi presumably throws more things in a rage at the walls. And for once, she hopes Kisuke isn't hit by anything.

-::-

Medusa waltzes leisurely through the empty halls of Las Noches. She's finally free. Her hood is down, the cloth wrapped around her head discarded on the floor and her blindfold hangs from the pale skin of her throat. And where her hair should be... is a mass of slim, writhing snakes, the hissing volume intensified. Her companions, Rivera and Nirgge, skirt around her and avoid her. She smirks. They should. Because in their wake was masses of Arrancar, all turned to stone, frozen in the positions they had been when they gazed into the depths of her eyes.

A rather... pitiful demise, really.

She was in her Resurreccion, Gorgona, and her torso was plated with bony armour, elegantly formed, arching over her shoulders, and her bottom half? It's a long, scaly snake, plated with shimmering green scales. And two long tusks protrude from her cheeks. They're _very _annoying. She glances over at her mate, and Rivera sports similar armour as part of his Resurreccion, Serpiente De Cascabel. He had a similar snake body, but his scales were a dusky brown, and topped with a rattle. The sound echoed through the empty halls, and she had to admit it suited the atmosphere. And Nirgge was his normal form, and surprisingly, he was dwarfed by the giant forms of the snake-like Arrancar.

Nirgge had taken the liberty of smashing the walls to make their entrance easier, and also smashing a number of the petrified Arrancar. And now, they were at the portal room, the one that housed the Garganta-creator which the queen and her subjects had passed through not that long ago. Nirgge walks over and meddles with the buttons, it looks like, but he's the only one of the trio who knows how to operate the thing. And Rivera places a closed-eye kiss on her forehead, and waits for the Garganta to open. The rattling of his tail seems to stop for a moment.

The faux-sky dome is now gray and clouded over. Fitting. And there is a horrendous zipping, ripping noise as the Garganta opens, and Nirgge bows Rivera in. Medusa sighs. "Stop that, dear," she murmurs. "I know you're making him do that." Her little snakes all hiss in unison and the rattling stops. She dimly recalls it stopping earlier, while Nirgge was starting the machine, forgetting when it started up again. But evidently it was what was making Nirgge act all... humble and respectful.

"Fine," Rivera pouts, then enters the giant mouth of the Garganta. It snaps closed and Medusa releases a sigh.

"And now we wait."

-::-

Agonized screaming fills the air, and Unohana is half out of her mind, trying to help the writhing, thrashing Arrancar on the bed deliver her young successfully. She's been at it for hours! And her assistants constantly enter and exit the room, carrying rags, some stained and soiled with blood, some clean. Sung-Sun is screaming, shrieking, making that unearthly sound, and it's all they can do to prevent Halibel from barging in like an anguished mother bear, for all it's worth. Unohana keeps her cool, murmuring encouragement to the olive-haired Arrancar in the bed.

Tesla was even harder to control. Sung-Sun's fellow Fracciones were sent away for being disruptive with the staff of the Sogo Kyugo Tsumesho, and Starrk is consoling Halibel, who seems to have gone into shock from the piercing cries. Somehow, no one notices a rather large figure dropping down from a Garganta near the gates. Lilynette has also been sent away, and Matsumoto Rangiku is sitting with Halibel, the two buxom blondes in the waiting room, trying to drown out the sounds of Sung-Sun.

Rangiku places a hand on Halibel's, and pauses. She sighs. "Look, dear, it'll do no good if you kill yourself or tear down the building while you're waiting," she says gently, eyeing the Third earnestly, "There's nothing you can do other than help the healers." Starrk had relinquished Halibel to a presently-motherly Rangiku, who was comforting the poor Espada, whispering consolations. "She's not gonna die. She'll pull through," Rangiku says confidently to Halibel, who seems to not have heard. "Both of 'em will survive, you know that."

Halibel is silent. And then she speaks. "Those two short Shinigami earlier that came by, what were their names?" Her voice is controlled, and hardly shaking, and Rangiku takes it as a sign Halibel is trying to tear her thoughts away from her Fraccion, who paused in her shrieking for a moment, then started up again. They all wince, and Rangiku purses her mouth.

"Kuchiki Rukia and Hinamori Momo," she tells the tall woman, who nods, keeping her breathing level. "Both lieutenants who had to get through hard times." She gives Tia's hand a squeeze. "They came by to drop something off. They're currently on patrols, to make sure nothing disturbs this place. Luckily the other patients here don't need much sleep." Another earsplitting screech tears through the air. "Your girl has a strong set of lungs, hm?"

"Y-yes," Halibel murmurs.

Outside, a distance away, Rivera spies two young Shinigami girls split up, patrolling the streets. They seem to be doing it more as a distraction, because even he hears faint screams.

Barragan had plans to frame a few Shinigami, to make sure the Arrancar weren't blamed and... Rivera chuckles. He'd found two just for the job. He lets the sound of hypnotizing rattling fill the air, and Rukia and Momo both pause from where they stand, running back to each other. _Yes, that's it..._

Rukia shakes her head, unable to stop her eyelids from drooping. She's suddenly sleepy, being lulled into a daze too strong to fight. But she still brandishes Sode no Shirayuki and shouts, "Who's there!?" She looks around, taking a defensive posture, and sees Momo do the same. _Momo... _She spies a snaky tail disappear right around the corner, and freezes, despairing over whether to chase the tail or warn Momo, but just as she takes a step forward - she collapses. Groaning, she falls into a sleep, and through blurry eyesight, she sees Hinamori fall to the ground as well.

The rattling fills her ears.

Rivera clasps his hands together. "That's it, little Shinigami," he croons, waving his hands. "Come along..." He reaches out with Pesquisa and senses Luppi, Wonderweiss, Aisslinger and Demoura's Reiatsu easily. Those Arrancar were traitors to Soul Society... But loyal to Barragan, and his - no, their cause. They presumably had their own reasons for rebelling, but Rivera didn't care about that. He forced the two short women - both could have passed for teenagers, or even pre-pubescent preteens - but were years older.

As it was, he still had use for them. He'd gotten information that the slightly taller one - Hinamori, was it? - had fire powers and the shorter one - ...Kuchiki? - had ice powers. They'd be extremely useful for leaving obvious evidence, and so he led them forward to where the four other Arrancar were waiting.

"So it's you, huh?" Luppi yawns, raising one sleeved hand to his mouth. "Cool. We," he jerks a thumb at the other three, "have already smashed every Senkaimon in Soul Society. Yeah, there's more than that single one - some of the stuffy nobles have private ones." He narrows two large eyes at Kuchiki. "Kuchiki Rukia? She'll be _extra _useful for one of the noble families. After all," he lets out a laugh, "who would question a noble waltzing into their own manor?"

Wonderweiss lets out a yowl and Demoura snorts. "He's stupid," and Aisslinger scoffs.

"Rich, coming from you." He taps his beaklike protuberance thoughtfully. "Now where should we start?"

"How 'bout the Kuchiki Manor one first?" Demoura suggests. "It good."

Luppi just sneers at him. "Fine. Fire and ice will surely do the trick. Lead on, Rivera!" he orders, and Rivera inclines his head. "Time to lay waste to this damned realm."

-::-

"Just a little further," Rivera insists to the entranced Shinigami. Rukia and Hinamori shuffle forward, gazes blank, the rattling of his tail filling their ears and worming its way into their minds, twisting them to his commands. "Now... Shikai."

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki..."

"Snap, Tobiume..."

Both say it in a dead, emotionless voice and Rukia swings her katana in a circular motion, and the sword turns white, growing a ribbon at the end. Hinamori swings her sword and the blade grows several protrusions, pale, almost translucent purple energy swirling around the blade for a moment before dissipating.

Rivera compels them with his mind, and they completely trash the main Senkaimon, just as they had done with the other ones of the noble families. It did look weird, them parading dead-eyed at night while the other Arrancar were cloaked in one of Urahara Kisuke's inventions stolen by Barragan and his subordinates, but no one questioned the two Shinigami.

Soon the rubble of the Senkaimon pillars and the large door, laying on the ground in heaps and piles, is half-singed, half-encased in ice. Rivera releases his control and they topple over and collapse on the ground. "Do we kill them?"

"No!" Luppi snaps, crossing his arms, "we go back to the Garganta, and Las Noches! _Then _we'll wait for Barragan's command and bring forth our army, or whatever. Yeah."

"Sounds very vague to me," Rivera murmurs, and Luppi, Aisslinger and Demoura shrink, remembering that Rivera is eons older than them, and far more powerful. Luppi seems to regret using such a scornful tone with him, which Rivera smirks at, before turning and shrugging. "But very well. We will return and leave these two to be arrested. Lead on, Antenor!" he drawls, and Luppi glowers for a moment before storming off in a huff.

-::-

Rukia and Momo come to, several hours later, and Rukia heaves herself up. Only to find herself face to face with the blade of a sword. She raises her gaze to find a member of the Onmitsukido before her. Behind her, Momo gasps and jumps upright, only to have the ninja in front of her point the sword at her throat. Tearing her gaze away, she glares at the silent ninja in front of her. "What is the meaning of this!?" she demands. There's a circle of black-clothed Onmitsukido members surrounding them, blades all pointed at the duo.

"Kuchiki Rukia, Hinamori Momo," the lead ninja booms, voice gravelly and slightly muffled from his mask, "You are under arrest."


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: **So this is kinda like a four-day-arc, finishing on Valentine's Day (with a whole load o' shippy stuff :D)... 26, 27, 28 and 29 are all pre-written chapters, but I still need to edit quite a bit.

Imprisoned

Ggio approaches Yoruichi, who looks half-dead and is reclining on the ratty couch, mumbling angrily to herself. She doesn't notice him until he clears his throat, and for once it isn't awkward when he does so. "So," he says calmly, seeing her raise her head dully to inspect him with bloodshot eyes, "what's disappeared?"

"Never you mind," she glowers at the ground, "Just… go back to…" She trails off and covers her eyes with a palm. "Urgh."

"It's the Hogyoku, isn't it?" He presses his lips together in a thin, severe line, eyes stormy. She doesn't seem all that good.

"Wha? Sh… zzz… sho you heard all that…" Yoruichi groans, and Ggio notices she isn't at her best, not counting how she seemed extremely sleep-deprived. Her voice was slightly slurred - actually very slurred. Then he notices the ceramic bottle clutched in her other hand. "Leave me… be…" She presses the entrance to her lips, and he watches her drink the alcohol calmly before glancing down and seeing a few other empty bottles on the ground.

"So you thought we were better off left for dead?" he asks, plopping down beside her, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice is deadly calm, and icy. Yoruichi regards him again, face full of turmoil, but he doesn't grace her with another statement.

"Ggio… I'm shorry," she mumbles, voice still slightly slurred, as if her tongue suddenly weighs 100 pounds. "I r'lly am. But the Hogyoku ish… deadly fuckin' powerful…" She sits upright and her eyes widen, and she grabs Ggio feverishly. "I'm sho shorry Ggio, but…" She gives him a shake, and his anger quickly turns to alarm. The sake bottle spills over onto the floor but she ignores it. "Please… Don't… don't tell the little bee…" She releases him and leans back, grabbing the bottle and taking another swig.

"What?" he asks uncertainly.

"Ggio…" She raises a hand and slaps him on the shoulder, but not hard enough to hurt. "You… not obligated to forgive me… But pleash… Don't tell Shoifon!" Her eyes bulge, and her grip tightens on the bottle, and her knuckles turn white. "I… she… I'm not sh… sure I can deal wib… nuther appoint – disappointment…" So she's more trashed than he initially thought. But that was to be expected, he thought resignedly. But it brings his mind to something he's reluctant to deal with.

"What ab-about Soifon?" he asks hurriedly, trying not to seem too interested. He wets his lips. "Is there some kind of… history between you two?" Yoruichi half–laughs and half-sobs, and Ggio knows that, if she were sober, she definitely would have told him to fuck off, and wouldn't reveal as much information.

"She… I… uh…" She swallows and seems on the verge of crying. She goes to take another long draught of sake, but the bottle was empty. The sake was on the floor, in a puddle from earlier. "I did shomething… terrible… Plea'don'tell'er… Don't tell'er I told you…"

"I won't," he promises.

"You… love… her?"

It's a slow question, asked by a drunk person, but all the same Ggio snaps, far too quickly, "J-just get on with it!"

"Okey-doke," Yoruichi gazes into outer space with a brooding expression, eyes hooded. She's moodily swirling the bottle around. "I hate the Hogyoku. It'sh nothing bu'trouble." She pounds a fist on the surface of the couch, and her fist is shaking. "There wash an exper'ment, yearsh ago… Yeah, the Viz… zzards… They were affect'd by th' 'speriment. Shentenced to death 'n' all tha'. Sho wash Kishuke 'n' Tesshai… Tesshai's out travellin' righ' now. But I had to reshcue them… and…" Yoruichi rocks back and forth and tears begin to spill out of her bloodshot eyes.

"What? What happened?" Ggio asks quietly, not realizing he's stiff as a board. He also doesn't realize Soifon passing by, and she freezes at the doorway, stiffening, fingers curling around the doorframe. Neither Yoruichi nor Ggio notices her breath hitch in her throat, and Yoruichi continues, voice cracking slightly.

"I had to leave my little bee behind."

Soifon raises a hand to her mouth.

"No goodbye… no note… no nothing. I jusht abandoned her, jush like tha…" Yoruichi's voice shakes. "I know how much she held me in high'r'gard… And I shupposhe it was a shock when… when I jush' left. She work'd sho hard to bea'me. It wash sho… I'd'no."

Soifon quickly exits, escaping the scene. She can't bring herself to interfere. But she slowly walks back, face plummeting when she leans against the wall outside, still listening.

"An' she confront'd me 'bout it. An' then I realizzhed… How much I hur' 'er." She squeezes the bottle again, and Ggio quickly takes it out of her hands lest she smash it to pieces. "I… I never r'ly apologizzhed… And… sh-she had the heart t' take me back 'gain!" Yoruichi breaks down, and Ggio, not knowing how to deal with the situation, awkwardly pats her on the back. His anger at her had diminished, but not entirely.

"Surely you had no choice?" he asks. Soifon already knows the answer. She's long forgiven Yoruichi, but to see Yoruichi has been beating herself up over it for so long.

"Ah… I had a choishe… Shtay with her and… and Kish'ke an' Tesshai die or get 'mprishoned fer life… Or leave 'er and reshcue them, Hirako an' the othersh… The ones tha'were'h'lowfied. I… shacrifieshed her happinessh for their livesh… She forgave me…" Her sobbing becomes more violent, and Ggio can hardly make out the words, "B-but… I can't fergive myshelf! She'sh a good one… Pleash… Don't hurt her 'nymore…"

Soifon's shoulders tremble and she slips away unnoticed before she herself can break down and cause more commotion.

She grasps his arm. "Pleash… don'tell'er…" she slurs, tears drying on her face only to have more tears leak over them. "I dun wan' her t' be hurt 'nymore… and it be my fault… Pleash…"

He pauses for a moment. Then he exhales. "I won't."

-::-

Ggio leaves Yoruichi as she is, sprawled out miserably on the couch with her empty bottles; he doubts she has the motivation to get up and search for more, and immediately walks right into Soifon on the way downstairs. She glares at the ground before meeting his eyes. "She told you about our history?" Her mouth was set in a thin line, Ggio saw, but he turns his head away.

After a long pause, he says, "Yes. She did." Soifon just curses in a foreign Asian language and whips around, meaning to storm down the stairs but Ggio grabs her wrist. "So what? I'll keep your 'secret', along with the other 'secrets' you wanted me to keep."

"Let go."

"And what? We'll all just leave this hanging in the air between us two? Shit, it can't keep going on like this forever, you've got to learn to _trust_, dammit!"

"You're not still bitter about what happened back then?" she snarls, yanking her wrist away and stalking down the stairs. He gapes, then follows her.

"You're bringing _that _back?! I think you made it _very _clear, and I understand your choice. That still doesn't change the fact you have to rely on others _sometimes_, because keeping a secret for long enough eats you up from inside out!"

"What would you know of _secrets_," she hisses, turning to face him. Gold clashed with silvered-brown as the two of them glared at each other. The air between their eyes could have been enough to fry an egg, they were both so furious.

Then - "Oh, believe me, I know," Ggio says coldly. He stares down at her, his meagre height still above hers, but right now it seems as if she is every much as tall as him, the cold intensity in which she looked at him.

"Not as much as me," Soifon snarls, advancing. "Hiding your true feelings from others so you don't come off as _weak_. Trying to bluster your way through the ranks, to try and catch up with your higher-ups, in order to _please _them and be respected for once, because you were the RUNT!"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF ME?!" Ggio bellows, taking a swing at her. She catches his fist, and squeezes it, but he doesn't budge. She just described what he spent his life as an Adjuchas as, and later on, an Arrancar. She yanks his fist down and kicks at his legs, but he jumps and twists his fist out of her iron-like grasp. It turns into an all-out fist fight, but neither of them do any real damage to the other.

Finally Soifon forces Ggio to the ground, pinning her knee on his chest, other foot pinning his ankles down and hands holding his down at the wrist. She leans close to him, and neither of them notice the awkward position. "Do you know what it is like to have your beloved desert you, after you did _everything _for them?" she growls, close to his ear. He knows what she's talking about, and knows she overheard.

"You forgave Yoruichi though," he snaps back, struggling against her but she doesn't move, just holds him down more tightly.

"Because I chose to let go of the past, and because I stopped being a brat and accepted she had no choice."

Ggio strains against her again, then slumps back. "What is this, a contest to see who had the most traumatizing childhood?" he demands. She doesn't say anything, and everything is just hate, hate, hate. And then someone clears their throat.

"I'm sorry, but could you two please keep this in the bedroom?" Ulquiorra asks disdainfully before they both get up, both avoiding the other, "Some of us have things to do." But he didn't miss the anger coming from both of them; Ggio and Soifon were too angry with _each other _to feel embarrassed at being seen in that position.

As Ulquiorra traipses up the stairs, Ggio pushes past Soifon. "Where the fuck are you going?" Soifon demands.

"To take a piss!" he retorts, swinging into the bathroom and slamming the door. But he doesn't.

He sinks to the ground, face in arms, until he hears her go away. And then, abandoning all his anger, he feels hot tears slide out from under his eyelids. Dammit, he shouldn't cry.

He begins his transformation into his feline form, bones cracking and shifting until he's a large, fanged cat, and curls up, burying his nose in the thick fur on his tail. And when he opens his eyes, they're glassy and watery.

He's probably ruined everything. And she'll hate him.

And then he understands why. _Why _she's so distant all the time, _why _she's so cold, even to her lieutenant, to _him_.

He quickly turns back into his humanoid form, and dresses again, opening the door and rushing upstairs, but Soifon is gone. He hopes Yoruichi is still there at least, maybe even sober, but he shouldn't push his luck. He rushes over. "Where's Soifon gone?"

"Some argument you had there," she mumbles, looking sufficiently better; he sees some tea - made by Kisuke, perhaps - by her, accompanied by water. "She went out. Can't sense her Reiatsu though."

Ggio's shoulders slump. So his apology will have to wait. He's never been able to find her without her Reiatsu.

-::-

Sung-Sun was successful in giving birth, and as of now she was surrounded by her fellow Fraccion, an immeasurably relieved Tia Halibel, an equally relieved Coyote Starrk, Captain Unohana and her mate, Tesla Lindocruz. Szayel hung around in the background with Nemu, having taken notes on the little hybrid. Nothing could describe Tesla's emotions, and the young male Arrancar seemed to shocked to speak. But his eyes were full of love as he gazed down at his and Sung-Sun's daughter, Eunice, short for Eunecta. Eunice/Eunecta Lindocruz sounded like a fit name for the small, red-faced baby swaddled in Sung-Sun's arms.

She had a tuft of bristly olive hair, and some parts of her arms were plated with now-squishy scales. She also had a tufted tail, strangely enough, covered in a brown fuzz like Tesla's Resurreccion fur. And when she opened her eyes, they were revealed to be slitted. She was a hybrid between two Arrancar, an a naturally-born Hollow at that, so she would later be of great value... to a male wanting a mate. Sung-Sun and Tesla had discussed it earlier, but they'd deal with that problem when it came. And there was no telling what her on Resurreccion would be, as a warthog-anaconda hybrid Arrancar. They were too rare to be studied, but hybrids had certainly existed, and were extremely rare.

Halibel was smiling widely underneath her mask, watching Sung-Sun feed her daughter. It was rather unexpected for Sung-Sun to become a mother first out of the three, but then again anything could happen. And everyone seemed so happy, although Szayel had commented on Eunice's appearance being strange, to which Sung-Sun swatted at him with her hand and Nemu nudging him and telling him to be nice before returning to the SRDI to open up a Garganta for Apacci and Mila Rose, who felt that Hueco Mundo had been without protection for long enough, and if Halibel did not want to return, they would go in her place. Lilynette was kneeling at Sung-Sun's bedside, cooing at Eunice, who had paused in her feeding to paw at Lilynette's face curiously.

Nemu returned in a hurry, and elbowing Szayel, she dragged him down and whispered in his ear. He blanched, then pulled Halibel aside to talk to them, as Starrk seemed preoccupied with supervising Lilynette. Halibel rubbed her wrist anxiously, tearing herself away from Sung-Sun and her baby, to face Szayel rather irritatedly. "What is it?" she asks.

"There seems to be a slight problem," Szayel murmurs, adjusting his glasses/Hollow Mask, and turns to Nemu.

"Please follow us outside," she says quietly, eyeing everyone else at Sung-Sun's bedside rather anxiously, "We don't want to cause them... erm... panic." Szayel goggles at her. Nemu has never faltered before, back when Mayuri was alive, and it still comes as a shock.

Halibel shoots one last glance before nodding and following them outside. When they are out of the Sogo Kyubo Tsumesho, Szayel beckons her closer. "We have discovered," he begins gravely, "that the Garganta does not work at the moment. The other side's been disconnected. Nemu just went forward to make sure, so that your Fracciones Emilou and Franceska didn't have to have any difficulties - but until we construct a new one, even a temporary one should suffice, you cannot return to Hueco Mundo."

"What about the Human World?" Halibel demands, "We should be able to use Descorrer then return to Las Noches from there."

"Erm... About that..."

"All the Senkaimon gates in Soul Society have been destroyed," Nemu exhales and blinks slowly, "Captain Unohana received the news ahead of us and told Szayel."

"Who did it?" Halibel snaps, but Nemu is unfazed.

"Kuchiki Rukia and Hinamori Momo were seen lying unconscious before the main Senkaimon gate. All of them, even the private ones belonging to the noble houses, have been destroyed. Shards of ice and ashes have been spotted." Halibel opens her mouth to speak, eyebrows furrowed angrily, but before she can do so Nemu quickly adds, "It seems rather suspicious but it was right there and they are merely - suspects for now. They are, as of now, imprisoned in the Squad Six barracks, where Kuchiki Rukia was imprisoned years ago, before she became a lieutenant."

"Was that comment really necessary?" Halibel asks frostily, but then again, her question isn't all that necessary.

Nemu shrugs, and Szayel sighs. "But, just to be clear, you have no way of returning to Hueco Mundo until we restore the Senkaimon gates and - or - make a gateway to Hueco Mundo. Kurotsuchi Mayuri's notes have been lost - his notes from when Kurosaki Ichigo fought the Espada and he formed a temporary Garganta gate to Hueco Mundo - so really, I don't see how you can return."

-::-

"YOU CAN'T LOCK US IN HERE!" Rukia hollers, pounding on the bars. "We're innocent! We were framed!"

She's locked in a small cell with a chair in the 6th Division barracks prison. And opposite her sits Hinamori miserably. Their Zanpaktou have been confiscated, limits placed on them so that they can't use Kido to escape - as both are fairly proficient in Kido - and Rukia pounds on the bars once more before slumping down onto the ground and laying back, giving a heavy sigh.

Both of them were imprisoned here before, back when Ichigo was considered a Ryoka. But they'd been let out? She snorts. She can't remember, and neither can Hinamori, but apparently they were seen smashing the Senkaimon gates and using their Shikai to damage the ruins even further... The tightly-packed Reishi particles of the gates were not the same Reishi particles that made up everything else in Soul Society, and apparently, it had to go through a long-ass ritual by the Kido Corps. Rukia puts covers her closed eyelids with the back of her palm and groans.

Wow. Sleepwalking was intense.

"Hey, Rukia?" Momo asks sullenly, fingers tapping out beats on the wooden floorboards; Rukia dimly recognizes it as Morse code for SOS. "Do - do you think we'll be able to be..." Her voice trembles. "Redeemed?"

"Huh?"

"Like, do you think they'll let us out because... Whatever reason?"

Rukia snorts. "No idea, Momo. They've locked us in here before, they'll do it again. I just..." She sighs. "I just don't want to be sent to the Maggot's Nest. Captain Soifon's still out on her mission and... Well, she can't come back. Vice-Captain Omaeda... He has enough authority to do whatever with the Maggot's Nest detention center," she shakes her hands around, "The inhabitants there go _mad _and - and I don't want it to happen to us." She swallows. "If you're in there for long enough, then..."

Momo just sighs, but the sudden arrival of someone makes both of them sit up straight. "Is it an authoritative figure come to sentence us to death?" Momo whispers.

It's Renji. Rukia relaxes. "Nah, no authoritative figure. Just Renji."

"Hey." He looks offended for a second, then sits down on the floor between their cells. "Hello to you to."

Rukia catches Momo's eye and turns to Renji. "Hey, Renji," she drawls sickeningly, and Momo giggles. "Care to... _let us out_?"

Renji looks confused. "What."

Momo can hardly contain her laughter and she lets out a snort before covering her face, looking mortified, then bursting into giggles again as Rukia tries to purr awkwardly. "I'd love it if you can... bring me out... I'll be your prisoner for the night?" she offers in an attempt at a throaty voice, and Momo is on her back, kicking and positively screaming with laughter. Rukia straightens up and hunches over, hacking and coughing. "Augh! Screw this!" Poor Renji looks frightened, inching away.

"Wow, Rukia," Momo snickers, "those Shinigami Women's Association 'sexy' lessons did _not _work for you. I guess Rangiku-san isn't as good a teacher as we thought." Rukia shoots her a mock-angry glare, and Renji, looking less uncomfortable, goes back to sit with them.

"It seems like an... um... A good way to brighten up life in prison?" he offers awkwardly. In truth, Rukia attempting and failing to be seductive in order to get him to bust them out of prison... It was terrifying.

Rukia groans. "You just had to remind us."

"Hey!" Renji raises his hands defensively, "It's not as if it's easy to forget, with these bars blocking the way.

Momo ignores him, and sits, deep in thought. "So maybe the seduction thing only works for people with boobs." And she places two hands on her chest. "Oh."

Renji turns away, the tips of his ears turning red.

Rukia sighs. "It's not as if you need it, Momo..." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Don't tell me you haven't been getting action with Kira, hn?"

Momo's face turns a deep shade of red. "K-Kuchiki-san!" She rubs her face furiously, as if that's going to help her stop blushing. "Y-you have no proof!"

"Oh, we know," Rukia grins mischievously, and Momo's moan of despair is enough to tell her she's right. Renji looks on bemusedly, his ears slowly becoming more red as he registers hat they're talking about. and Rukia just cackles madly, rocking back and forth. Teasing Momo is fun.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **A Trophy Father's Trophy Son


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **Woop, the title is one of my favourite songs by SWS! And I get the feeling it... fits... Welp, enjoy... In the story, the day is July 9. And please, leave reviews to tell me hat you think! Criticism is welcomed, because I'll keep writing bullshit unknowingly until someone actually tells me if it is crap and how to improve. Pls bro. And btw, this is a rather long chapter... Enjoy...?

A Trophy Father's Trophy Son

Soifon hadn't told anyone where she was going but Yoruichi, who simply nodded and gone back to trying to become sober, and quickly. She's still shaken up over the huge argument between herself and Ggio... She should stop dwelling on that. But it was true. They... really didn't know all that much about each other, right? Her uncertainty is currently a large part of what she's feeling at the moment. That and... the other thing. She was supposed to go visit her family's graves back at the old manor by now, but seeing as they were on a mission... She clutches the many flowers she picked out by the park close, and walks inside, only to be faced with a tired, irritated-looking Kisuke, a listless, cat-form Yoruichi on his shoulder and the Arrancar sitting on various large objects strewn around the room.

"Ah, Soifon," Kisuke says wearily, "I have news..." He takes off his hat and examines it sullenly. "And it's not exactly good news. I've received news from Soul Society – the kidnapped ex-Shinigami arrived safely, and are now living in Rukongai as average Souls – not that it's bad; that's not the bad news – but… A little while after they arrived… Again, this isn't exactly bad news, but an Arrancar gave birth to a little baby Arrancar…" He exhales.

"Just get on with it. It's fucking unbelievable," Grimmjow growls. Ulquiorra doesn't say anything, but his knuckles were whiter than usual. Ggio is nowhere to be seen.

"So... I've told the others..." Kisuke coughs sheepishly. "So... I've just received news that... Well..."

"Spit it out," Soifon snaps.

"All the Senkaimon gates in Soul Society have been destroyed," he says simply. "There is no way from Soul Society to the Human World anymore until it gets fixed. And in case you're wondering if we can just use Grimmjow or Ulquiorra to get to Hueco Mundo, then into Soul Society via the Garganta gate… well, apparently they've lost connection. They think that the one in Las Noches has been destroyed, and now there's no way back to Soul Society. Access is barred, from _both _ways."

"And we no longer have that damned Hogyoku to make miracles occur," Yoruichi mutters under her breath, and no one but Kisuke hears her.

Soifon almost drops her flowers. Stay... here? In Urahara's shop? For... how long? "Shit," she growls, and storms past them. "This better not be a joke," she shoots over her shoulder. She stalks down the stairs, blatantly ignoring Ggio, who lurks in the shadows, too nervous to approach her. He wants to apologise… But of course, she doesn't know that.

-::-

Barragan raises the Hogyoku to his eyes and inspects it closely. The other Arrancar are becoming restlessin its presence, and very uncomfortable. Ander Ramos had stolen it from Kisuke and opened a Garganta – using Descorrer – to Hueco Mundo and brought it back to Barragan, who was very pleased. He may no longer need his spies in Soul Society, Ggio, Redder and Findorr, to bring him information. Redder and Findorr had been _very _useful, and no one, _no one_, had suspected them. Not even Ggio himself. He inspected the glowing sphere closer. But he'd still grant them power from the Hogyoku for being _loyal _at least. As well as everyone in his army, because how could a bunch of weaklings take down the Gotei 13? He himself had been deceived by pseudo-Arrancar scum, but he had no way of knowing where they were.

"So when are we actually gonna rescue Aizen?" Loly asks, eyebrows raised. "And when are e starting the so-called revolution? Shit, did you just get moose guy," Ramos coughs but Loly ignores him, "to steal the Hogyoku for your own means?" Menoly crosses her arms and hugs herself, looking miserable. "Aizen's probably wasting away in that cell, 'cause apparently they've tied him up and imprisoned him in the lowest section possible." She pounds her fist against her palm. "We better get a fuckin' move on!"

"Tch," Aaroniero snorts, "We can take our time. They wouldn't let him _die, _that's not the point of jails."

"_You get what I mean!_"

"We have disabled their forms of transport," Zommari says, eyes closed and meditating, "Barragan will surely use the Hogyoku to create a dimension portal to Soul Society, but they cannot get here to _us_." His eyes open slowly. "Am I right?"

Barragan's wizened, scarred face twists into a smile. "Yes. But first – use the Hogyoku to grant yourself some power. I cannot have you going up all the members of the Gotei 13, Arrancar included, as you are." _Weaklings_, he adds silently. "Ramos, you first." But the towering, hulking man shakes his head.

"I do not desire this power. Pick another."

Barragan eyes the group of Arrancar suspiciously. Most have the light of greed and lust for power in them. Was this how Aizen got them to join him? Rivera and Luppi's team had gone into the Garganta earlier, then Medusa destroyed it by turning it to stone and they had all come back. He didn't miss the way Luppi tried to look disinterested but failed, the ugly desire flashing in his eyes every time he glanced back at the Hogyoku hungrily. Marcelo Rivera just examined his nails disinterestedly, one of the few who were truthfully not interested in the Hogyoku and whatever it could grant.

He didn't miss how his own Fracciones eyed the Hogyoku. Basically every lesser Arrancar desired it. He sighed, and pocketed the Hogyoku. "Let us go back to Las Noches first. I want to reclaim my throne first, and then we will have an arrangement."

-::-

Soifon darts down the ladder, flowers in hand, and clambers down the rocky pillar. It would have been a lot easier in soul form, to just leap down and land on the ground unharmed, but she doesn't care. Yoruichi had told her there was a section of dirt somewhere in the cavern, which wasn't barren sand, and it would be perfect for planting these flowers. Ordinarily she would have never been caught _dead _doing this, but… currently it was a sentimental reason, and she had better things to worry about than people's opinions of her.

She wandered around until she found the soil, a small hill which had a meagre layer of grass atop it. She scuffed the dirt with her foot, and got to work, planting one flower for each of her five brothers, one for her mother, and one for her grandmother. Her dearest grandmother. She didn't have much to work with, and her fingernails were then filled with dirt, but she was thinking of other things as she planted them, lost in reminisce.

When she was done, she sat back and ignored her work.

She'd often been told that her mother had died giving birth to her, which was why father seemed to hate her so much and drank himself dumb often… Her fault… It was all her fault. If she hadn't been born, she wouldn't have died, he always said. And she'd begun to believe it. It had started eating her out from the inside, a growing guilt and sadness that she'd hidden from everyone else. Father kept telling her drunkenly – for they seldom saw him sober – that she killed her mother. Soifon – Shaolin at the time – killed Mom. She'd still be alive if Shaolin wasn't born, and they'd be a happy family. But no.

Soifon hugged her knees close. She had no idea why she kept harbouring all this doubt within her, and why it was so hard to just… let the past go. That one she could answer. She'd been so pettily clutching the past close, Yoruichi's abandonment, her abusive father, the deaths of her siblings who were all so much better than her… They'd fuelled her into fighting and being strong, even if she was the weakest of the 'litter', a runt, and also – a girl, weighed down somewhat by the sexist opinions of the other, more distant family members. Of course, they'd all been old warrior lords; their wives had never gotten a say.

She supposed it was part of the reason why she looked up to Grandmother that much, or why she idolized the Shihoin Clan so much, namely Shihoin Yoruichi.

She'd loved Yoruichi so much, but it must have been nothing more than a naïve crush. Yoruichi had simply seen potential and had personally trained her. But she must have seen her just as a little sister to love and care for, not returning Shaolin's romantic feelings for her. Soifon snorted, a little sadly. So naïve. So stupid.

She rarely remembers any _really_ happy days with Father around. But the one where they spent it chasing butterflies when Grandmother had visited. They didn't dare tell Grandma it was _him _beating them up, and with the unusual peace, it quickly slipped their minds. She'd only noticed that they were all very injured, and thought it strange, so she'd left them medical supplies for their mysterious bruises and burns, and very occasionally, internal damage. Children could be fast on short legs, especially terrified children who couldn't raise a hand against their _father_.

Breathing slowly, she let herself dwell on one of the rare happy moments of her life, when they were chasing butterflies.

Shaolin stumbles across the grass of the small field on short legs, chasing after a large blue butterfly, fragile, papery wings fluttering in the sunlight as it evaded her yet again. Shaolin pouts. She's only 6, but has a strong competitive streak against _five _older brothers. And it also had to do with the fact she was a rather sickly child. She makes a great leap for the butterfly but it flutters away. She looks crestfallen for a moment before being yanked upwards, squealing, but her eldest brother Akihiro. The teenager laughs and swings her around, and Shaolin giggles and flails playfully, laughing.

Akihiro was the most proficient recruit of the Onmitsukido, his father's 'prize son'. He was always efficient in the drills and the training, and so were his four younger brothers. The second oldest, Kaito, was Akihiro's best friend, often seen walking around and laughing with friends during breaks. And then there were the twins, Itsuki and Kazuki, identical in every aspect except Itsuki was a Nashi pear fiend and loved the stuff, and Kazuki despised the fruit. They were troublemakers and pranksters, and when they got into trouble, often bribed either Akihiro or Kaito with stolen konpeitou to bail them out.

And then there was Ryuu, an awkward, shrimp of a boy who didn't really seem like a boy. Whereas all the Feng boys were all tall and lean-built, with the exception of Kaito, who had broader shoulders and was more muscled, Ryuu was far too skinny and pale and enjoyed trying to befriend that one stray cat with Shaolin rather than tussle in the dirt with his brothers, and sometimes felt extremely uncomfortable when referred to as a 'boy'. Sometimes he jokingly said he enjoyed being referred to as 'it'. Needless to say his father did not approve.

None of them revealed _anything _about the nature of their home, even as part of the lower-Noble family directly under the Shihoin Clan. And no one suspected them of having such sad backgrounds, or questioned why they were all overly-happy about things, or flinched when someone made a sudden movement. Then again, the members of the Feng family had this uncanny ability to hide things _perfectly_.

Soifon leaned forwards, sinking into the ground before the Pasque flower dedicated to Ryuu. She hadn't noticed the tears flowing out of her eyes until they fell onto her hand. _I'm sorry…_

She clearly remembers Akihiro being fed up with their father's _fakeness_. Pretending to love his 'best son' dearly when sober, clapping him on the back, proclaiming him the best while Akihiro was visibly uncomfortable, then turning around and outright abusing him when he came second or something not first, as the star pupil of the militia training class. Shaolin had often curled up with him, Akihiro sporting a bloody nose and bruises, and he'd always let out his feelings and complained of their father and how he was an arrogant, selfish, asshole. But Soifon was then too young to understand, merely nodding in agreement to make her brother feel better.

Their father Jin was a respectable man up until his wife's death; by then he'd become moody and snappish, drinking away his troubles in an izakaya or some other bar, but no one suspected him of raising a hand to his children. He often beat Ryuu, for being a "disappointment"; Ryuu seemed a cross between a girl and a boy in his nature, and their father? He just couldn't deal with it, always telling him to 'man up', and that he'd 'beat the femininity right out of him'. Shaolin didn't judge. She just liked to have someone pick flowers with her, or do other activities with her that her other brothers usually didn't like. And Ryuu always enjoyed it when Shaolin braided flowers into his hair and proclaimed him 'pretty'. And she understood when he sometimes wanted to be referred to as 'Rin' and be called a girl. Shaolin would just giggle and be glad she had a sister in those times, instead of five brothers, though the young girl would often apologize to her brother/sister when she accidentally mixed up the names or what to refer to Ryuu/Rin as.

Akihiro would often sit down with Shaolin and talk about all the times when their father was an actual dad, and when mother was alive, when he was very young, younger than Shaolin herself. But Soifon, looking back, hung her head and despaired when she'd remembered the last straw, when Ryuu and Kazuki had died on their first mission after graduating together. Itsuki was immeasurably depressed when his best friend in the world had died, and Itsuki had survived despite being on the same team.

And then Itsuki and Kaito died on their second mission, internal wounds and mental trauma causing them to react far too late after being rooted in position by some deep fear they hadn't gotten over completely. Grandmother hadn't taken the news well, and their father had beaten Akihiro for not 'taking care of his little brothers properly'. And Akihiro beat himself up over it as well, and Shaolin, who had begun the academy, had started to understand and despair the death of her brothers. And then Akihiro snapped, when Shaolin had gotten less than perfect marks on a grading, and Jin had hit her.

[Flashback]

Akihiro storms over to their father angrily, no longer a gangly teen but a man, and rips the sake bottle right out of Jin's hands after taking another beating from a furious father, shielding Shaolin from their father's irrational wrath. "You have the nerve to bully Shaolin like this and call yourself a father!" the young man bellows angrily, throwing the bottle down on the floor and it smashes into pieces, the ceramic exterior cracking and letting the remnants of the alcohol spill. "You terrorized us for years and have the audacity to call yourself our father!"

Jin does nothing for a moment, then rises. "I am your father, and your family!" he thunders. "I have every right to you children, and I am also your superior in ranking! You are my son and will obey me or suffer the consequences!" He raises his hand to strike Akihiro, but the young man intercepts it and squeezes his wrist. Tightly.

"I have come of age," he hisses, "and I will not stand for this treatment, even after all these years." He swings the fist at Jin's face, but the older man dodges easily. Shaolin watches, terrified, as father and son clash. "Why didn't I spill the beans sooner?!" Akihiro crows hysterically, swinging fists and kicks at Jin, "it would have been so easy to bring my abusive shitbag of an asshole father to the light! Why didn't I!" More battling, with lightning-fast Hakuda, "You were right; I was weak. Weak enough for thinking you could amount to anything more than a jackass! Why did I keep thinking you could be a father once more?!" Akihiro chokes, and this time Jin lands a fist on his jaw, sending him stumbling. Akihiro is half-laughing, half-crying. "Why couldn't you stop being a selfish shit a-and start..." He chokes on the last few words, "start loving us again and act like a father!"

"You children were useless and too much trouble!" Jin roars. "You were worth shit! When that runt of a girl was born, Akemi died!" He threw Akihiro's crying, shaking form off himself and jabbed a finger at a cowering Shaolin. "You killed your mother! You killed Akemi!"

"I didn't!" Shaolin screams over the din, and Akihiro resorts to clawing and thrashing at his father, abandoning the refined art of Hakuda, hand-to-hand combat.

"AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO LOVE YOUR CHILDREN UNCONDITIONALLY?!" Akihiro screams in anguish, taking a swing into Jin's face, "Mother died! So Shaolin could live. She was being a wonderful mother but you! You were selfish, weak, and allowed yourself to wallow in despair and drink yourself dumb, and beat all of us just so you could do shit like 'avenge mother', like what the actual fuck were you doing?!" Akihiro screeches.

"She didn't have to die!" Jin bellows.

"She gave herself up for Shaolin! She loved you! She loved all of us! She sacrificed herself for Shaolin because of _love_," Akihiro whispers, stumbling backwards, clutching is abdomen. He shoots a hateful glare at his father, a father reduced to nothing more than a bastard still caught up in grief and this _anger. _Anger at his _children _for something that was out of their hands. "You know what You're the weak one," he spits, "you were a trophy commander, the head of all these Onmitsukido divisions, so respected! And I was your trophy _son_," he spits a gob of blood onto the floor, and wipes his mouth furiously. "A trophy father's trophy son. You used me to make yourself look better when you made the fucking mistake of sinking into alcoholism and shit!" Akihiro shoots.

"You wouldn't understand," Jin snarls, grabbing the nearest bag and storming outside.

"Understand _what_?! You don't even understand how to be a father; how to treat your sons and daughters properly!" Akihiro pounds his fist on the floorboards. "Is this what you call a family?!" he screams at Jin's retreating figure outside, into the night, "Is this what you call a fucking family?!" He chases Jin out the door, stumbling slightly and clutching his abdomen, "What happened to the loving father we used to have?! Do you even care about us when we cry ourselves to sleep, wishing we had an actual responsible fucking parent?! Did we make a fucking mistake to make you not love us anymore?!" Stumbling after Jin in the night, Akihiro sobs and chokes, and Jin stops, silently assessing the situation in front of him.

"You wouldn't understand," he repeats.

"At least have the grace to feel fucking ashamed of yourself! It's been _HELL _not having you here as an actual father, nor even a father figure to take care of us, you bastard?! It's been fucking _years _since I remembered you actually acting like a decent-fucking-person! _Answer me_!" Tears pour out of Akihiro's eyes, but his father is still stoically silent, jaw stiff and unyielding to his son. And without a word, he turns and leaves. "Why are you running away?!" Akihiro screams. "Running away from your children like a bag of shit, that's what!"

Silence as his father calmly walks away from his son, who reaches out for him like he's reaching out for a flotation device in the middle of a stormy sea.

"Is this what you call a family?" Akihiro's voice trembles as his arm falls limply to his side, and he falls to his knees.

[Flashback End]

Soifon rocks back and forth, replaying this scene over and over in her head, shaking and sobbing to herself. She'd run outside to witness Akihiro brokenly sobbing on his knees, and she herself had begun to cry. Her sleeves and the knees of her pants were wet with tears. That was the last time she'd ever seen Jin Feng. Apparently, he'd gone on a mission, heavily inebriated, and had gotten killed in action as a result. By then, Akihiro was considering picking up a bottle of his father's damned alcohol and drinking himself to liver failure, if that really numbed the pain and took it all away. But then he cast the bottle outside, vowing never to become a monster like their father.

Depressed, he'd gone to his sixth mission, and perhaps he hadn't had the will to live anymore and just - gave up. And then Soifon was alone, with a distant Grandmother. And she'd toughened up. Instead of the sickly little girl, she'd become a warrior. She never let herself appear weak in front of others, although often ended up crying herself to sleep at night, wishing her brothers were still alive, wishing she could meet Mother, and she trained intensively to be as strong as Yoruichi. Seven years later, her efforts finally paid off when Yoruichi took notice of her talent and promoted her to become one of her personal guards. Initially, their differing personalities seemed to clash due to Yoruichi's laid back nature, however, she dedicated her life to her master, happy to put her life on the line for her. In turn, Yoruichi took her under her wing as her protégée, and they developed a close relationship as student and mentor.

But Soifon had desired more, and fallen deeply in love with Yoruichi. In her new capacity as head of the guard, she was protective of her as well as Yoruichi's honor, and Urahara Kisuke had threatened all of that. But looking back, Soifon now admits she was just jealous, because Yoruichi seemed to like Urahara more... in _that _way. And she did everything in her power to make sure Kisuke was fired, because on top of that, he seemed like a slacker who'd threaten Lady Yoruichi's honor and reputation. But she'd felt so pained hen Yoruichi kept playfully insinuating that she as in love with Kisuke. _Oh Yoruichi... If only you knew who it actually was..._

And when Yoruichi 'abandoned' her... it shattered her. She built walls so she couldn't feel so betrayed, and in turn, become cold and distant. Even when she realized Yoruichi had virtually no choice, she still couldn't let go of the abandonment issues. They stayed with her. She didn't trust anyone with her feelings. And that was what filled her with strength to take all Yoruichi's titles, to try and spite her, to show her Soifon could actually be something without her. But it seemed awfully petty, she admits, looking back on her past self, years earlier before they'd met again. And, she'd finally realized she couldn't force her to love her.

She let out a choked laugh. She was once again, a mess. She turned to the flowers, which she might have successfully watered with all her tears. And she began to pour out all of her feelings, for lack of someone better to tell. "I have abandonment issues," she mumbles reluctantly, forcing herself to express her emotions in a more effective way than cold glares, "it just seems so stupid, you know?" She tries to imagine she's talking to Akihiro, or Ryuu/Rin, or even Itsuki. "I never had a chance with Yoruichi, but I kept pursuing her..." She laughs, shoulders shaking, even more tears pouring down her face. "And then... I couldn't bring myself to open up when she left, and even when we reconciled... It's just so... so stupid..." She takes a deep breath, not noticing she's being watched by a doleful pair of gold eyes. "And..." She recalls her argument with Ggio. "Yeah... I pushed away someone I might have actually had a chance with, all because of my stupid, shitty insecurities... Ah... It's my fault..." She smacks her forehead lightly. "I wish... I didn't hate so much... That I could love more... That I didn't waste all my love on Yoruichi, on a useless cause, and converting it to petty bitterness when she left..."

Silence. The flowers swayed slightly and she smiled a watery smile.

"I've got to make things right... Somehow." She breaks down again, chest heaving. "Why am I talking to a bunch of flowers! I-it's not like... like Akihiro, Ryuu - Rin, maybe - can just come back and make things better. I-I wish... I wish I had an actual father... I wish I had a mother... I wish our family was whole, not just a few terrified children with an asshole dad. Fuck, I just..." She takes a deep breath again. "I am a fucked up person."

"You're not." For a moment she questions reality; if her brother's suddenly come back or if she's hallucinating some wild image of her brother, but no. It's Ggio. And he looks almost as miserable as she feels, sitting bunched up like she is beside her.

"Oh..." She sighs. "I'm sorry, Ggio."

* * *

There, nonbinary Ryuu/Rin, genderfluid, actually... Headcanon: Yuushirou is a transboy. For diversity. And because it's a change from imagining everyone as cis.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: **Stories, stories, stories. And why… why do Soifon and Ggio seem Mary Sue-like? Apologies if it seems that way ^^' And this is the last chapter in that short... arc... thing... kinda. In truth it was more of a lead-up to romantic stuffs on Valentines Day, where I prewrote stuff and took time editing... mmf. So really it's not much different from normal; just packed into one per day in four days, rather than my usual laziness.

Also... not many new reviews? Sorry if it seems rather brattish but feedback and criticism is welcome, constructive or nah. Like... it actually helps me improve guys. If the story is bad, please, tell me instead of abandoning it, because I will take note and improve. :u I'll stop raving nao. Enjoy ouo

Reconciliation

Ggio seems surprised. "You are?" He then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh... So am I." He tried for a smile but faltered. "Sorry for pushing you so hard when you clearly didn't want to. I understand you're... scared of being hurt again. And you probably need a lot of time before you try opening up..." He trails off. He's not sure where he's going with this, and the plans in his head all crumble down, leaving one fact he's ashamed and a little guilty admitting. Wow, she's beautiful even when she cries.

Soifon lets out a deep breath. "This is just..." She shakes her head slowly. "Its's easier to confide in damn flowers than actually talking to someone who responds. Flowers won't judge me... You know? They're just... flowers." She reaches over and prods one, causing it to waver. "And I'm sorry; I got caught up in my own troubles that I didn't stop to consider yours." She eyes Ggio, eyes bright through a watery film. "You... erm... had a shitty childhood as well?" Then she caught herself. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me."

Ggio smiles. "But I want to! If you're fine listening...?" Shit, this is awkward as fuck. But Soifon just laughs mirthlessly.

"It's a change in wallowing in my own despair," she says.

Ggio puffs up his cheeks and blows out air. "So here goes. I'm not sure how I was born, because I don't seem to have a Hollow hole or anything - maybe I'm pureborn? - but I remember being taken in by Barragan-sama at a very young age. He trained me and took me in with five other Adjuchas, and they were all so much bigger and stronger than me - it's so petty thinking thoughts like this!" He absently traces patterns on the ground and continues, "so I worked and worked and tried to be good for Barragan-sama, I tried to be the best because... well... he always seemed to be so disappointed in me! It sucked. Childhood as an Adjuchas was shit. It didn't help that the other five were all pureborn, naturally-born Adjuchas, although Barragan-sama had a hole in his chest... No idea."

"Oh," Soifon says simply.

"And then Aizen came along and thwarted the kingdom, and I remember all of us falling to the ground after he struck us down... Now, this is really fucking weird but... I just can't remember much of the past, like some things are just... unreachable. It's just a hazy blankness when I try to remember how I was born, am I a natural-born or what, why do I have all these scars, what the fuck these bruises were. And..." He takes a breath. "I got turned into an Arrancar, was still the weakest runt, and tried to train harder, learn more, so I could be the best in Barragan-sama's team, his Fraccion, whatever. Yeah, that shit never happened, so..." He smiles thinly. "I died, was brought back, and still can't remember shit."

Soifon is silent for a while. Then she says quietly, "Do you think... you were abused back then? And they used powers or something to remove your memory?" Probably not, and she should stop trying to... to project herself on others. Ggio just sighs through his nose and shrugs, looking a little pained. There's something in his chest that hurts. All he can focus on is her, _Soifon_.

"Who knows?"

Soifon wipes her face. "I think you're naturally-born, because... You seem to have a heart. You seem to care about things more than... than I think you would if you were a mere Hollow, spawned from a Plus soul."

"Maybe..."

She sighs. "So you had… five brothers too… and someone you looked up to." She smiles. "Not much different from me, eh? Five brothers, a stupid insecurity about weakness and internal struggles… I better tell you about my shitty life story. I-if you're fine listening?" she adds hastily

"Sure, but you don't have to tell me – "

"I want to." It's like a mirror of their earlier conversation, except that the roles were switched, she can't help but think. And it's about time she told _someone_, rather than a bunch of plants or inanimate objects.

Ggio just nods, and shifts his position into something more open and comfortable than a tuck-sit.

"I was born Shaolin Feng, of the lower-noble class, the Feng family. I had five siblings, all older brothers, and all tall and skinny – except Ryuu; sometimes he was a brother, sometimes a sister, sometimes a mere sibling, and he, or she or they, were pretty short – and I was the little sister, the 'runt' of the litter. I was a… a rather sickly child who could never measure up to them. And…" She exhales shakily. "Apparently Mother died while giving birth to me. Father spiralled into alcoholism afterwards, and when he was sober he wasn't really a father either. Akihiro, the biggest brother, was his 'prize' son, and he always showed him off like a trophy while Ryuu – or Rin – and I were… the disappointments."

"But you're not a disappointment," Ggio smiles. He brushes his hand over hers and she flinches slightly at the contact before flushing, clearing her throat and continuing.

"H-he… Father was abusive. He would beat us, or lock us up sometimes when he entertained beautiful women… but not often. He was the leader, the commander, and everyone looked up to him. And they felt sorry for him when Mother died," she spat, "and no one suspected him of beating his six children. _No one_. But then again we were all too scared to tell someone. And our whole family was renowned for being… being secretive. Akihiro as my best friend, then Ryuu, Rin, and the rest of my brothers. Father went off on a mission drunk and… and died, and Akihiro gave up on life later on his sixth mission, and didn't have the heart to survive that one. So it was just me and Grandmother, since my other brothers… died… on their first few missions.

"I took Grandmother's name, Soifon, when she died and I officially joined the Militia. I'd always looked up to Shihoin Yoruichi," there her voice shook, "and I was so excited to serve under her. And so… I worked hard, studied hard, trained even harder and, well, rose through the ranks until she recognized me and took me in as her protégée. She trained me personally, I because the head of a guard when I was only a teenager or something… Well, teenager in Soul Society terms, but then I became smitten with her. I was jealous. Bratty, even. And that's why it hurt so much when – when she left me behind. It wasn't her fault, but I was just so naïve and disappointed back then… I guess that's what spurred me to become a captain.

"I took all her titles just to spite her, she was exiled and I vowed to be the one to catch her. I was… obsessive. And cold too. Didn't trust anyone with my feelings, didn't even try to feel things, lest I came off as 'weak'. I didn't let anyone become my friend, let alone…" She hesitates. "Lover. I shouldn't have. I should have let go, told someone, found happiness. But I was too caught up in past troubles." She laughs hollowly. "Bad decision on my part. And that's the story of my life," she says absently; she's more focused on Ggio slowly entwining their fingers together. He as a good listener.

"Yeah, but you're strong now," he says earnestly. "Going through all that. Someone else would've gone _mad _with all that in their head."

"Believe me, I almost did."

"You don't have to be afraid of feelings," he inches closer, and she doesn't move away, "they're what defines you as a person, or something that's not a Hollow and has a heart."

She glances up into his eyes, and he's caught off-guard. "I think you're a natural-born Hollow," she murmurs. "You understand."

He can see the trails of dried tears on her face, every stray tear clinging onto her eyelashes, how she looks beautiful even with all those red marks from crying and scrubbing at her face. "Yeah, probably…"

All Ggio can remember after coming up from the cavern before her (and receiving a couple of very suggestive looks) is the feel of her lips on his as they kissed properly, and were actually sure of themselves. Soifon climbs up later, and is met with the sight of a suspicious-looking group; Kisuke, Yuzu, Karin and Ururu, with a snoozing Jinta, Yoruichi curled up on his back as he slept on the table, had put together a table and a few objects that could serve as makeshift chairs, into the center of the room. There were papers all over the table, Jinta's hand was being used as a paperweight, and Yuzu and Kisuke were conversing very animatedly in hushed tones while Karin looked on boredly and Ururu tested how many pens she could stack on Jinta's head, moving Yoruichi's tail away very carefully. Everyone else is situated in various corners of the room; he catches Soifon's eye and for once, she isn't embarrassed to return his gaze and even smile.

-::-

Captain Unohana is very displeased with the current on-goings. Travel between Soul Society, the Human World and Hueco Mundo is disabled, with Szayel working overtime on a dozen cups of coffee and Nemu working efficiently beside him. Two lieutenants were arrested as suspects of the Senkaimon gate-destroying; a few nobles had seen them walk up to destroyed parts of their private Senkaimon and start using fire and ice to freeze and singe them, and Captain Kuchiki was distraught, along with Abarai Renji and Kira Izuru. There was a panicking Espada in her waiting room, her three Fraccion being kept in the dark about recent events, her companion Espada waiting with her and attempting to calm her down, and his alter-ego – his split form – is out hassling Lieutenant Ise about having a rematch with Jushiro, who is, at the moment, camping out in the medical centre, and trying not to inconvenience the staff members too much.

Needless to say, things were very busy. Three Arrancar and the captain of Squad Two were stranded in the world of the living after sending 9 ex-Shinigami from Squad Thirteen through; they'd talked it over with the Head Captain and were permitted to spend the rest of their afterlives in Rukongai. Tesla refused to leave Sung-Sun's side upon learning that Eunecta was a difficult one to feed, due to two over-large tusk-like teeth on her bottom row. Even though Sung-Sun insisted that it was okay; Little Eunie was doing fine. Captain Ukitake and Captain Hirako seemed displeased with the recent turn of events, seeing as it was their lieutenants who'd gotten themselves arrested – although both Rukia and Momo insisted they remembered nothing.

She strides over to Tia Halibel and Coyote Starrk, loitering in the Sogo Kyugo Tsumesho, "I'd rather you didn't linger here," she says courteously, "your Reiatsu may seem a… a bit distressing to the other patients," she makes sure Starrk notices, "and I've just sent a Jigokucho to Ise Nanao that you are to go visit her and discuss things over with her, Shunsui and Jushiro. It's for your own health, we don't want to wind up with you in a ward because you've been over-stressing." She smiles gently at the nervous woman. "Szayel will fix things, don't worry. Please go visit Nanao; she's over in the Squad Eight barracks." She makes sure they're gone before turning round. It's true, she doesn't want them getting stress-related diseases.

Nanao is shelving books, awaiting the visit of the two Espada – she was rather tired of Lily-chan heckling her about Captain Ukitake who did _not _want a rematch. And as she waits, she recalls her birthday, a delightful yet embarrassing event due to there being a Shinigami Women's Association meeting on the same day. She'd been showered with gifts right after… after spending time with Shunsui. Her cheeks burned as she remembered the alcohol, and how quickly clothes could just disappear like that. And she'd been asked very… embarrassing questions on her sex life, a drunk and tearful Rangiku proclaiming that her stony-faced, uptight student had finally gotten herself laid – she did _not _need to answer questions about that, and who's to say she's never done _it _before? And she can't remember a time when she had Rangiku as a member – but she couldn't remember a lot of things when there was alcohol involved – but she'd clearly remembered walking in on one of Matsumoto's 'sexy' lessons. Yachiru should not have been allowed to attend the lesson; if Kenpachi ever found out, there would be hell to pay, considering she was his precious daughter.

"Ise Nanao," a polite, quiet voice greets. She turns to see Tia Halibel there, clutching her arm nervously, with an apprehensive Coyote Starrk behind her, staring at a fixed point behind Nanao; Captain Kyoraku was behind her, 'doing paperwork', but she clearly knew about the bottle of sake he had 'hidden' beneath his desk.

"Welcome!" she greets brightly. "Captain Unohana told me you'd be here. Lily-chan!" she calls, and Lilynette rushes into view, clutching one of Nanao's favourite books when she was younger. "Starrk," Nanao says amusedly, "make sure Lilynette doesn't kill Jushiro on sight," to which he inclines his head and Halibel probably smiles behind her mask, eyes crinkling in that tell-tale manner. "Come in, sit down!" she adds hastily, remembering her manners. "Shunsui?" She finds chairs for the three Arrancar and striders over to Shunsui, who she _knows _now is dozing, hiding his face from view with his large hat. "We have visitors!" she hisses, shaking him.

"Nanao-chaaan?" He blinks bleary eyes open. So he was pretty sober. That must mean he'd finished the bottle earlier, maybe a day or two ago. "Oh! Hey, Starrk-san!" he calls, tipping his hat. Starrk almost bristles in his chair. "Long time no see, eh?" he winks and Nanao scoffs.

"You killed him, remember?"

"Oh, yeah… But that doesn't mean we can't be friends…?"

She snorts. "Jushiro will be here in a minute," Lilynette's head promptly pops up, and Nanao adds pointedly, "but you are _not _to fight him; we are here for peace, not war."

"That's good," Halibel murmurs listlessly. "We had enough war over a decade ago… It was hard to rebuild the kingdom after Aizen."

Nanao nods sympathetically, adjusting her glasses. "But… Things are fine now?" she asks concernedly.

"Yes," is the answer. "But someone's destroyed the Garganta gate on the other side and now I _need _to get back. There is trouble." And then she lapses back into silence.

"You must need to get your mind off it." She notices Starrk and Shunsui both dozing off and quirks a smile. "He likes sleeping too?"

Halibel snorts. "All day, everyday. It is irritating. So Kyoraku-san oversleeps too?"

"He does," Jushiro walks into view, eyeing Lilynette with mild apprehension, "on any smooth horizontal surface he can find. And the sake! Thank goodness he's the flirty, sleepy drunk, instead of… of a horrible, bad drunk. He used to flirt with anything that had a skirt before Nanao came along," he chuckles, and Halibel raises an eyebrow. "Ah, he didn't make the ladies _uncomfortable _or anything, he wasn't handsy if he knew they disliked it but… Needless to say, he made it the goal to enrapture any female. But the habit's stopped," he finishes hastily, seeing Nanao furrow her brows, "a long time ago."

Shunsui gives a loud snore, making them all jump, and Nanao tuts. "Even so, Starrk can't be as bad."

Halibel shrugs, her posture relaxing slightly as she finds it easier to push troubles to the back of her mind. "No one has ever doubted his ability to nod off in the middle of a sentence." No one can reply to that. Not even Shunsui does that.

"Nanao-san!" Lilynette lools up, forgetting about picking a fight with Jushiro, "tell us the story about how you two got together!" Nanao flushes, but Jushiro smiles.

"If I may, Nanao?" She nods. It as an amusing story when told by anyone but her, usually because it involved Shunsui getting cowed. "Alright then. Shunsui as a player, always chasing girls in the Academy centuries ago, never really considered just settling down and stopping. But it still went on, even with the previous lieutenant Yadomaru Lisa around. After that he recruited Nanao as his lieutenant and attempted to flirt with her but," Jushiro allows a happy, reminiscent smile on his face as he recalls his friend's failed attempts," he was always getting foiled. Nothing worked. _She _was work, work, work, her seious attitude contrasting with his slacking, laid-back one. It took ages, always with Shunsui getting exasperated, but in the end he found himself falling in love with her. And there the habit of flirting with every woman in the squad and more had stopped once he'd finally caught Nanao. It's a heart-warming story," wouldn't you agree?"

They all nod, Nanao smiling as she recalled Shunsui's irritating habits. It was true, after a while she started getting jealous of his flirting with others… but that was before he stopped, and then... Work wasn't her absolute, number-one priority anymore. And she's happy to see Halibel happy and relaxed, because from what Retsu had told her earlier, it seemed like the poor woman was going to start hyperventilating or die of a heart attack… She didn't want that to happen.

-::-

"I'm going out," Ulquiorra flatly declares as he finally snaps, unable to stand any more of Kisuke's tittering. No one argues with that. _Good_. He wants to exit this silly little shop, with all its candy and cutesy products. And it's getting scary, with all the pens stacked on the sleeping red-head's head. One movement could make it all crash down, and wake the demon-cat. Ulquiorra walks for a while, touching his face almost subconsciously, because the green tear-lines down his pale face are gone. And it's hard to deal with the lack of his Hollow Mask helmet in a Gigai, and also… this silly human-like body. But he'd felt something new, pulsating in his chest, the moment he stepped out of the lab after being resurrected.

He had a heart now. A heart. The hole in his chest was still there, but he had a sense of the heart, which made him a faux natural-born Hollow. A fake. An impostor. And he still does not know what the heart does other than pump blood through the veins of a flesh-and-blood being, and the only one who could tell him? Well, he had no idea where she was.

He'd realized a while ago, when dying, that he'd fallen in 'love' with the woman. Her fiery auburn hair, lips that said sweet nothings about the land she came from, eyes that looked bright when he came but shed a thousand tears when he'd died. She'd looked so miserable… Why would she cry for him? When he had been her captor? He hadn't held her in much regard, but they'd conversed in her captivity, and he'd attempted to be a good listener. And she broke down often, confiding in him about her feelings. And back then, he couldn't feel positive feelings, or anything else at that, but felt a rush of irritation at her friends, as she felt she couldn't tell them things.

_"But I can tell you, Ulquiorra," _she'd smiled tearfully, _"You'll always provide me with an honest, uniased answer_." And he couldn't disagree with that, as his incapability to feel bias and emotions was probably the cause.

In his last moments, he'd been exposed to the Hogyoku. And it had given him a fake heart, in his dying moments. He'd understood just in that split second, as he'd spent so long wondering about the heart, the Hogyoku finally granted him his desire. But it had come too late, as is very existence crumbled to dust, and nothing but ash and Reishi particles floating in the wind.

No one knew of his 'heart'. He hadn't known until Kisuke had told him, and elaborated on Ulquiorra's own theory. But it still didn't make sense, somehow. For he still didn't understand the heart fully. Even though he had a feeling his 'heart' wanted the woman, even though she was with another. And he didn't exactly hold the heart in high regard.

A flash of fiery orange caught his eye. He didn't dare look back, lest it be that human Kurosaki Ichigo. He didn't like Kurosaki, partly because he was always the centre of the woman's interests, although he'd flatly told the woman that this 'Ichigo' didn't deserve her. She'd giggled and told him he was being silly for holding her in such high regard, and that was later in her period of captivity, when they'd opened up to each other.

There it was, the flash of orange again, and this time, he saw two little bobs of orange, along with a mop of black. His mouth went dry. The woman was… here? Across the road with all the other tra – er, humans?

In that split second when Orihime caught his eye, her own shiny gray pools widening, her mouth opened to form a word, uttered in a high shriek, "Ulquiorra!"


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: **Light-heartedness.

Burping and Babysitting

Ulquiorra found himself barreled over by Orihime, arms flailing as her daughters watched on in confusion, asking their father, Uryu, who this person was. Uryu just adjusted his glasses, too dumbstruck to understand and ended up being dragged forward by Orihime in her excitement. "Uryu! Come say hello to Ulquiorra!" Orihime cries happily, eyes watery as she regards her former captor.

"Uh… Hello, Ulquiorra," Uryu says a little stiffy. Ulquiorra gives him not greeting other than to stare at him with a politely bored expression and refrain from calling him trash. Uryu holds out his hand, and Ulquiorra recalls that the last time he'd touched Uryu's hand, he'd ripped it right off and went on to 'kill' Kurosaki. So, not many happy memories between the two, and nothing in common, except maybe an attachment to Orihime.

"…Human." They gingerly shake each other's hand before quickly withdrawing. Orihime beams, then gasps.

"Oh! Where are my manners. Tomomi-chan, Hitomi-chan, come and say hello!" The two small girls, both aged 5, walk forward curiously. Ulquiorra regards the twins warily.

"Hello, Ulquiorra-san," they chorus.

"Why's your face so pale?" Tomomi asks; she's the one dressed in pink, and her sister is dressed in yellow.

"Why are you so short?"

"I like your green eyes."

"Now, now, let's not bother Ulquiorra too much," Orihime laughs, and she nudges Ishida. "See? I told you Kisuke and the other scientists would get through. You did well, working alongside Ichigo and Tatsuki, as well as Sado-kun, to fund him."

"Fund?" Ulquiorra inquires, cutting into the conversation. Tomomi and Hitomi are tugging on his clothes and asking him questions that were growing more and more ridiculous by the second, not to mention attempting to climb up and yank on his ears. Hitomi grabbed his hand and asked why his nails were black. Ulquiorra must have had infinite patience.

"Oh!" Orihime gasps. "Well, we were only taking a walk, but we can go back home to talk this over with you, since," she lowers her voice conspiratorially; "we don't want others to overhear."

"But I don't want to – " Ulquiorra is cut off abruptly as Hitomi and Tomomi cry out eagerly, tugging him along in Orihime and Uryu's wake, presumably walking back home. Uryu glances over his shoulder occasionally, making sure Ulquiorra isn't harming his daughters, but seeing Ulquiorra's resting bitch-face while being pestered by the little girls he suppresses a smile, knowing Ulquiorra wouldn't try anything. The girls were more than a match for the Arrancar.

-::-

Kisuke has ceased worrying over the Hogyoku, instead working on making a temporary portal into Soul Society, just until the Kido Corps fix up the Senkaimon and they receive word that transport is possible. It was better to focus on the present than to worry over the future and mourn the past. Yoruichi was helpfully passing him parts from inside and outside his lab, the black cat darting in and out the catflap installed in the door. No one knows where Ulquiorra disappeared to, nor do they even worry. Mostly, they're pissed off at being isolated in the Human World.

Kisuke sighs and emerges from his cave, clutching three cans of... of human drink. Ggio glances up from his cross-legged position on the floor. "What's that?" he asks. Grimmjow shrugs, continuing spinning one of Urahara's spare hats (though probably not as important as the one he always wears) and Soifon doesn't even acknowledge the question, staring off into space blankly from her perch on a barrel.

"It's soda," Kisuke says in an attempt at being cheery, although the bags under his eyes are prominent. "Try it." He tosses them to Ggio, Grimmjow and Soifon, who catch it in mid-air and narrow their eyes at it suspiciously. Ggio takes his can and sniffs it, making a remark that it smells sweet. Kisuke ambles back inside his lab, slamming the door, an enraged yowl cutting through the air as he did. Yoruchi probably didn't approve of the loud noise.

"Probably full of trash," Soifon observes, examining the label.

Grimmjow shrugs and promptly opens it and chugs some of the fizzing liquid. He coughs and retches. "It burns!" He glares at the can. "But it's strangely nice." He takes another long gulp, watched by a curious Ggio.

Soifon simply makes a sour face.

Ggio opens his own can, wrinkling his nose, then takes a long draught, face scrunching up as the fizz burns his mouth. Soifon watches absently as he takes on a panicked expression, beckoning Grimmjow closer. The taller Arrancar looks worried for a moment as Ggio looks more and more uncomfortable, then lets loose a loud belch right in his face and places the cans down, a wicked grin on his face.

"You little shit!" Grimmjow bellows, and Ggio darts away, laughing, also cursing as he knocks over various crates and barrels and furniture that is not fixed-down or too heavy to knock over. The can falls to the ground and fizzling soda spills into puddle. Soifon just sits on her barrel, watching the two continue with their foolish activities. Ggio leaps over the couch, flashing a grin at her and she feels a warm feeling in her stomach. Maybe it on't be so bad, staying here.

The chase is ended abrupty as Ggio, having somewhat mastered the art of feline transformation, makes a flying leap, turning into a large cat in mid air and shooting through the catflap, all his clothes left behind. Grimmjow skids to a halt, hissing furiously. Either way, he's too big to fit through, and Ggio barely just fit in. Grimmjow settled for sitting on the couch, shooting dirty looks at the floor.

-::-

Ulquiorra is... content (as some may put it) to sit stiffly on the plush armchair in the Ishida-Inoue residence in their warm, cozy living room - which was full of stuffed toys of.. Chappy? They were both doctors, although Uryu worked alongside Urahara in his line of Chappy-related products. _Gikongan Productions_. Full of Chappy and friends - Chappy, Yuki, Pupples, Diana and Alfred were the main characters of a little cartoon that aired on TV, and it was widely popular among the younger viewers, both in Japan and out of Japan. Ichigo went on regular overseas trips to check up on Urahara's other branches (and to fire anyone slacking off) and Sado worked in one of the branches in Spain, visiting back occasionally.

Ishida sometimes went, but owned - or rather, inherited - a line of hospitals from his father, who had gone into 'quiet' retirement. Ishida Ryuken, needless to say, _disapproved _of his son working alongside Shinigami, be it ex-Shinigami or even a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid punk, but made random visits to check up on his grandchildren. He had no quarrel with Inoue Orihime, after all. But he disapproved of Urahara Kisuke.

Arisawa Tatsuki worked at the Dojo, and her and Ichigo's son was already well-trained in martial arts, but he still let himself by pushed around by the boisterous Hitomi and Tomomi. Kurosaki Takashi didn't see much of his father, but that didn't change the fact the family was still close. And Kisuke had missed a fact - Takashi had a little sister. A little baby sister called Shiori, with sparse, downy black hair unlike her brother. Orihime managed a children's hospital outside of the Ishida line, but both families earnt most of their income from Urahara's crazy business. Plus they had plenty of obsolete Gikongan Productions merchandise. Tatsuki often drank her coffee from an Alfred mug, and Hitomi cuddled a Gringo plush to bed.

"So you're helping Urahara in his business?" Ulquiorra asks bluntly.

"Mhm!" Orihime nods, cupping her hands over the hot mug. "It's how he makes most of his money! Ichigo was mainly a figurehead for the business, 'cause he was the Hollow-Shinigami hybrid, super-strong hero guy, and business bloomed! At first Ishida helped fund him, with all the hospital business money, and then we kept working for him, and he pays us. He's... rich, as you might say, but he knows how to live like he's got nothing."

"Makes sense," Ulquiorra says curtly. Hitomi is braiding his hair and Tomomi is putting bows on. Ishida watches them amusedly, surprised that Ulquiorra would let two children mess him up like this.

"That's what all those crates and boxes are for!"

"Kurosaki's taking a break from work right now," Uryu chimes in, "so he's spending time at home with his family." He adjusts his glasses at Ulquiorra. "So you guys are stranded in the Human World, eh? How about you help us with his birthday party?"

Ulquiorra stares at him as if evaluating how easy it would be to tear off his hand again.

Orihime laughs. "Uryu, can you excuse us for a bit? Girls, you too - don't terrorize Ulquiorra-san too much!"

The girls look crestfallen for a moment before chirping, "Okay!" and hopping off to go bug their father. Orihime smiles at them, then glances back to Ulquiorra.

"How are you finding life in Soul Society?" she asks warmly.

"Fine."

"D-do you...?" She hesitates. "I was part of the team that assisted Urahara-san with the rebuilding of the Arrancar bodies. And... I rebuilt your heart."

"Heart?"

She smiles sadly. "It was one of the few things you did not understand, Ulquiorra. Even though you seemed to know... You thought it was in the palm of your hand!" She laughs at her poor imitation of a joke, then sobers up. "I helped rebuild your body, and I helped give you a - a pseudo-heart. It pumps blood through your body, sure, but a heart... A heart can make you feel things. A heart can help you find love." She sighs.

"Back then..." Ulquiorra's mouth turns dry as he struggles with a question. "Did you... love ...me?" It was a simple question, but he had no idea why it was so difficult to ask. Perhaps it was one of the downsides of having a 'heart'.

Orihime exhales. "Back then, maybe. But it's been years. Thirteen years, Ulquiorra. I thought you were dead, that you'd never return, and once we got ahold of the news, well... I couldn't wait for you forever. We had no idea how long it would take, and... and no idea if it would actually work or not..." She pauses. "Did you... y'know... love _me_, back then?" She adds hurriedly, "I mean, you mustn't have, since you didn't have a heart or emotions at the time, but - "

"Yes." The word cuts through the air like a knife through bread and Orihime pauses, eyes wide. "But you've moved on now. And I too."

"Wow..." Orihime takes a moment to register this. "So..." She chuckles, "I was that important to you?"

"Maybe."

A phone rings in the kitchen, and she jerks out of her sluggish state. "Sorry, Ulquiorra, gotta get this one!" she cries, leaping up and rushing into the kitchen, long flowered skirt flapping at her ankles. Ulquiorra stares at the dark-wooded coffee table blankly, and Hitomi and Tomomi scramble into the room.

"Ulquiorra-nii!" they cry, and he stares at them blankly. Nii? He was not their brother. But he was quickly bowled over as Hitomi stared at him like she had a life-or-death question that needed to be answered.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?" she asks him seriously, and he barely registers it. Grown up? He was a Hollow. There was no purpose in 'growing up', and wasn't he grown already?

"I don't know," he states flatly, and then tonelessly asks, "You?"

Hitomi shrugs, a goofy grin on her round, childish face. "I d'no. I forgotted!"

"I know what I wanna be!" Tomomi chimes in, hugging a Chappy pillow. Everyone turns to look at her, and Uryu walks in, glancing at her. Suddenly shy with all the attention, she whispers in her smallest possible voice, "I want to be a caterpillar."

Hitomi stares, then tosses her head. "Fine then! I want to be a snakey so I can eat a lot, then sleep a lot, and if anyone bugs me I hug them to death."

Ulquiorra's eyes widen by a fraction, and he shares a sideways glance at Uryu. These girls were unnerving.

-::-

Over at the Vizards' hideout, Hiyori squints bad-temperedly at Yuzu. "You want us to fuckin' _WHAT?!"_

Yuzu blanches, then beams. "Um… Well, you already stated you didn't want to attend Nii-chan's surprise birthday party…" She laughs nervously. "And I figured we could give you something to do – "

"Other than read Lisa's porn," Jinta mutters under his breath.

" – And you might even enjoy watching the kids for a few hours!" Yuzu holds her smile fixed in place while dealing with the fiery Hiyori, who really hasn't changed in those 13 years. Neither have the other Vizards, although the hideout was a lot quieter with Shinji's, Rose's, Kensei's and Mashiro's absence. Hachi was building a miniature statue in the corner, Love was reading manga and Lisa was reading something with scantily-clad women on the cover, but you could tell that they were listening intently, and being none too subtle with it.

Yuzu, Jinta and Hiyori were seated on some of the chairs in the hideout, next to where a broken-down Sarugaki Walker stood, and Hiyori threw her sandal into the air and caught it several times, thinking with her face scrunched into a scowl. Dark marks under her eyes were visible, and the only change in her appearance from 13 years ago was that her hair was fairly longer, but still rather short. She puffs her cheeks up and exhales.

"Maybe."

"Y'know, Sarugaki, that ain't vague at all," Jinta snarks, twiddling his thumbs. "Just – give us an answer whether you'll look after the kids or not on the day, and _please, _don't let them anywhere near Yadomaru's porn collection."

"Hey!" Lisa protests, "It's not porn! It's – "

"Erotic manga, yeah whatever."

Lisa just adjusts her glasses haughtily, then glances at Hiyori. "Well I think we should let the children spend some time playing here." Hachi glances up, pink-topped head swivelling to stare, and Love looks up from his action manga – Saint Seiya; he must have gotten them from Urahara, and they might've been the ones Grimmjow was reading earlier – and he lowers his sunglasses to take a better look, as if Lisa had grown an extra head.

"What?!" Hiyori yells, "Hell naw, I ain't lettin' a bunch o' brats fuck our shit up!" Hiyori glowers at them.

Lise just sighs. "Don't tell me you haven't been finding these days boring or something. And," she furrows her brow, "Don't tell me you ain't jealous o' the others who got to go back to Soul Society." She heaves a sigh, and a 'hear, hear' can be heard from the back where Hachi has finished building a model of Tokyo Tower. "Must be good doing that Shinigami stuff and… and seeing all the others…"

Hiyori's ears redden, and she protests angrily, "Nope! I sure as shit ain't jealous of those bastards who betrayed us to rejoin that bunch o' traitors who exiled us just because of what that fucknugget Aizen's done to us!" She grinds her teeth together.

"Oh, fucknugget," Love remarks absently, "haven't heard that one before."

"Shut the fuck up, Aikawa! I still remember you punching my head back then!"

"Back when we were in Soul Society?" Lisa remarks slyly.

"Whaaat? Aw, fuck you!" Hiyori yells, and Yuzu has a slightly frightened smile on her face as she sits in the middle of an insult war between the Vizards. Jinta just sighs resignedly, having been through this _plenty _of times. He even goes so far as to cheer and clap, receiving a few disapproving looks from Yuzu before she sighs and blows a deafeningly-loud taxicab whistle.

"Shut up!" she yells, and everyone pauses to stare at her, and her ears turn full-on scarlet. There is sudden silence in the Vizard hideout, and Jinta smirks proudly at his girlfriend's frightening explosion, which she is particularly prone to when people piss her off too much. "Sarugaki-san! Are you agreeing to this or not!?"

Hiyori is dumbstruck, mouth hanging open at Yuzu's sudden outburst, and the youthful, foul-mouthed Vizard makes an expression reminiscent of a goldfish for a few seconds before Lisa cuts in, "Yeah, we agree to babysitting the tots."

"WHAT?!" Hiyori screeches. "I do _not _look forward to babysitting these little shits!"

Jinta ushers a satisfied Yuzu out of the door. "Just be sure they don't make Hachi lock them up in a Kido box," he whispers, slinking out of the Vizard hideout and through Hachi's Kido barrier, "He did that once to my old boss, Kisuke, remember?"

-::-

It's evening when Ulquiorra arrives back at Kisuke's shop, and by then Hitomi and Tomomi have completely destroyed his menacing and 'emo' look; his hair is braided and decorated with bright pink and yellow bows and Chappy hairclips. It was surprising that he'd actually allowed Ishida Tomomi and Ishida Hitomi to do this to him, but then again the two little girls were more than a match for him, and he was pretty much powerless against them. Grimmjow almost died laughing when he saw, and then he'd almost died by Ulquiorra-Attack, only avoiding it by successfully shutting up when the Cuatro shot him one of his famous death-glares.

As it was, he'd stormed off to the bathroom to remove the gaudy decorations in his hair, and only then was Grimmjow allowed to laugh his head off, spluttering and slapping his knee. Even Soifon had to admit it was hilarious when Ulquiorra had shown up sour-faced and bows and pink things embedded in his fancily-done hair. Ggio had immediately excused himself then, face red and holding back laughter. If Kisuke had been there to witness, he'd have been attacked by Batman-Ulquiorra for sure.

Soifon was having second-thoughts on telling Ggio about her origins and family. What if he suddenly lost interest? What if he suddenly decided she wasn't… wasn't strong? What if she plummeted in his regard of her? Those were stupid, irrational thoughts. First of all, he'd seemed content to just sit and listen, and they'd even… They'd even kissed afterwards, and even though she was the one who initiated it, he hadn't pulled away, unlike that other encounter when she'd been sick.

Argh, she always worked so hard to seem cold, emotionless and strong in the presence of others, and they'd even grown to fear her. She had to admit, it gave her a sick feeling of satisfaction when her subordinates were afraid of her, but then she'd always felt like complete shit afterwards. She wanted to tell them she was every bit as insignificant as they thought they were, that, in truth, she wasn't the person they thought she was. Hell, she had an obsession for cats – and maybe bees – for Soul King's sake!

That was part of the reason Ggio was so infuriating. He didn't seem afraid of her. He didn't shy away from her icy nature, no matter how much of a bitch she was. It was annoying, and she'd hated his nagging interference at first and then… it didn't seem so bad. She even started to enjoy his company. And plagued by these insecurities, she couldn't even admit to herself she wanted him here. It seemed pathetic she was pining for company, even wrapped up like a blanket burrito when it wasn't even that late yet. She'd excused herself early to go back downstairs into the dark.

She sighs and wonders why she even worries about others' perceptions of her anyway. Didn't she always tell herself others' opinions didn't matter, especially if they were bullshit? And she didn't even go out much for this fear of her stony, too-perfect façade dropping away. Hell, Rangiku's tried so hard to hook her up, and she'd always half-heartedly agreed to it, but never gotten herself around to finding a date, male or not. As a female captain, it was obvious that she was desirable (Byakuya had an increasingly-large group of lady admirers, but everyone knew he was still hung-up about his late wife Hisana even after 50 years, and Ukitake had a fanclub also. And then there was Unohana, who had plenty of admirers, although they were too frightened to come forward and admit it) but she'd acted like a stone wall and doubted if anyone even _liked _her.

And again, she didn't _need _anyone to like her. It was just good to have peers who obeyed the law, and the orders of Head Captain Yamamoto and the Gotei 13. And that was all that mattered, wasn't it?

She can't help but suspect her father had some kind of involvement in this. She was always in fear of being judged badly, because if she performed badly, if any of her siblings performed badly, they'd be hit by their asshole of a dad. It spawned the idea that bad things would happen if she embarrassed herself, and it was only fuelled by the fact she was a sickly little girl who wasn't all that strong, although she'd gotten better in later years. But still she let it bother her, and she hated herself for it.

Easing out of her tightly-wrapped blanket burrito, she curled up, catlike, into her blanket and hugged herself, making herself as small as possible against the darkness of the room.

Something on light feet padded into the room, claws clicking against the wooden floorboards, and hopped onto the bed. Purring loudly, vibrations emanating from its chest, it curled up against her head, the thickness of its fur comforting against her cheek. Two luminous gold eyes blinked at her through the darkness, and the warmth of the cat was what comforted her. The last thing she thought before drifting into sleep alongside the large cat, was that it was too big and thick-furred to be Yoruichi.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: **I am so, so, _so _sorry. I abandoned this story for several months, since writing inspiration was lost to me. But I'll finish this story. I've been dragging out scenes because I didn't know how to figure everything out even though it was carefully planned, and scenes were taking longer than expected anyway. I planned for this story to be very long and still am; maybe it'll even hit 100 chapters. But in the meantime, I'll try to hurry the scenes up a bit more. So take my apologies for this abandonment, and take this chapter, long overdue. The title is also a sort of pun to my rise from the dead, except I'm not a ginger.

**Warning: it contains rape mention, and I'm not sure all of you are just fine and dandy with it.**

Return of the Carrot-Top

Soifon gives a yawn, rubbing her eyes. She checks the clock. 8:03. Damn, she slept in... Usually she was up by dawn. And she also felt warmer than she usually did, as sleeping here in Urahara's shack had become something she'd have to deal with until the damn transportation devices were fixed. She tried to wiggle her toes. Then shift her legs. She blinked her bleary eyes open; she was captain of Squad Two, dammit! She had to be alert! And presently, she noticed there was a large lump on her legs. She shot upright, hands shooting into fists, and quietened her breathing, but then relaxed. It was just a large wildcat. Soifon's senses were alert again - how the hell did a wildcat get in -

"Mornin'." Ah. That voice. The wildcat turns to face her, blinking lucid golden eyes at her, and she notices the long tusks protruding from its upper lip. The cat stretches lazily, still lying down, sprawled out on the bedcovers. Soifon stares. The wildcat stares back. It then hops off the bed and trots outside on light paws, and Soifon is left feeling confused. Ggio had been here all night, huh.

As she gets up and changes, her mind wanders. Unfortunately, by the time she is done pulling on an old, worn sweatshirt, she knows for a fact the things she is thinking about were not important in the least. Judging by practicality, they were detrimental and useless, but if she wanted to dwell on the 'feelings' part of her she'd locked away for decades... She guessed they were important in that aspect at least. She hears something slinking past her door and decides to ignore it.

She wasn't sure what to make of her and Ggio's relationship. Shinigami were _not_meant to hook up on missions. They did _not_hook up when times were dire. And last of all, they did _not_associate themselves with Hollows, or Arrancar, but recent events had changed that, and she supposed back in Soul Society, Arrancar were just happily mingling with the Shinigami. Fuck that. She'd spent years upon years being trained in how to assassinate Hollows and kill those monsters quickly and cleanly, and she needed time to get used to the new changes. She simply couldn't _believe_she'd just allowed herself to become _attached_to one of those things.

She couldn't dwell on that now. She was here on official business, and the other three members of her team were all fucking Arrancar. And, as she thought over that again, it was _official business_. She couldn't afford to lose face and start acting like a dawdling, daydreaming, utterly _naive_new recruit. She just hoped what had transpired during her time in the Human World would not be known to those back in Soul Society or she'd have hell to pay when she got back. When, and not if.

-::-

"There's a panther in my kitchen." Tessai stares blankly at the large black panther looking up at him challengingly. Then he reaches up under his spectacles and rubs at his eyes. Kisuke leans back in his chair, waving around that ugly fan of his, a chain of 'welcome-backs' issuing out of his mouth. Tessai can only stare, again. "There is a panther, lounging in my kitchen, eating cereal." Grimmjow gives him a look that can clearly be conveyed as, "Got a problem, fuckwit?"

Yoruichi shoots a dirty look at Grimmjow. She was clearly still jealous of the fact Grimmjow got to be a black cat, and a huge one at that. She's seated at the table beside Kisuke, sipping on milk from a mug with Ginnosuke the Cat Gikongan's face embossed on it. Soifon gets up from her seat beside Yoruichi to pour herself a coffee. She sees Ggio standing a short distance away from the table, sipping on his cuppa with a face that suggested he couldn't stand the bitterness. He manages a smile and raises the cup, and all Soifon can do is stare and then quickly look away.

Yoruichi watches the exchange. So things were still awkward, hm?

-::-

Rukia twiddles her thumbs idly, seated on a single chair in her cell while Momo hangs her head. They'd been in the Sixth Squad jails for some time now. Both of them had already been there at some point in the whole Evil Aizen fiasco. At least they weren't bound to a chair in Muken like him, though. However, jailtime was still lonely, and they received no visitors. Renji was busy with other business, what with the Senkaimon in repair and stationed guards around it to make sure no one tried anything while it was being rebuilt or unattended.

Captain Commander Yamamoto was still intent on keeping Momo and Rukia locked up in prison; he wasn't taking second chances as they had both been criminals prior to this, back when no one had any knowledge that Aizen had amassed an army of Arrancar.

"Hey... Rukia?" Momo asked listlessly.

"Yeah?" Rukia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What... What do you think really happened?" Momo rubs her eyes. "I'm _sure_we didn't do it! I just... woke up in front of the smashed Senkaimon."

"Same." Rukia shuts her eyes. She tries to remember back to when they were arrested, but it just hurts her head. "Maybe we were sleepwalking."

"That's unlikely, Kuchiki-san," Momo says quietly, then her eyes water. "I don't want to spend my time in prison..." She continues in a hushed tone. "They might imprison us in here forever and - and I can't help but think they don't trust us anymore!" Momo sniffled. "How am I even fit to be a Shinigami? Captai - I mean, Aizen tricked me and fooled me into turning on Soul Society, and... and..."

"Hey," Rukia hops off the chair and to the wall between their cells. "It's alright. Once we get this sorted, we'll be able to laugh in their faces. We didn't do it, of course! We'll prove we didn't. We're innocent!"

"B-but what if we aren't?" Momo hides her face in her hands. "I'm just... crying again! Why am I so useless? I can't even remember what happened! What if I actually did it? I'm just weak-minded."

"Hey!" Rukia scolds. "Stop that. You're not useless, you're not weak-minded, Aizen was just a scumbag. We'll get out of here once they understand." She smiled gently, even though Momo couldn't see her face through the wall. "Even though you may cry easily... You're a strong person, you can't deny that. You can't judge peoples' mental strength just by the fact they may or may not cry easily, and you can't judge yourself. You've been through a lot, and you just can't beat yourself up over it."

"But... I-I deserve to!" Momo let out a hopeless sniffle. "I'm not strong. I-I'm just not. My haircut was because I wanted to be strong, funny and brave like you, Rukia. You helped others, and you still do. You helped me. I'm just a useless, crying wimp. I'm weak." She gave up scrubbing at her eyes. "I let Aizen manipulate me to the point of trying to kill Izuru-kun and Shiro-chan..." Oh, how Momo wished Tobiume was with her.

Rukia snorted. "As if I believe that. I told you already! You're strong, mentally and physically. You're really good at Kido! Neither of us deserve to be in this prison! You can't let Aizen get to you. Aizen was too powerful. He had a hypnosis Zanpakuto, Momo, _everyone_got fooled. Unohana-taichou was the only one who was even remotely able to detect anything was wrong. Hey. Don't let prison or Aizen get to you." Rukia made herself comfortable on the floor. "This is just a breakdown. You just needed to let it all out. Sometimes things get really stressful and you start feeling self-loathing, but that will all pass. It gets better."

Was that from personal experience? Momo wondered. Rukia had spent ages in prison all alone, not eating, not drinking, not even sleeping, sitting on the chair facing the wall in the Senzaikyuu while Ichigo and his friends tried to rescue her before her execution. Her own brother turned on her. No one believed she was doing something for a greater cause. The rules still stood. Was this how Rukia once felt? "I... I see..." She wiped her eyes again, and her nose, getting her sleeve soaked in tears and mucus. She let her mind wander in the quiet of their solitude. But there was something else too... Something she'd never realised was wrong; terribly wrong, and she'd been manipulated to the point of... "Hey... Rukia...? There's... there's something else too..."

"Hm? I'm listening," the other young woman rested her head on the side of the wall, wishing Sode no Shirayuki was with her.

"Aizen-tai - Aizen... one day..." Momo gulped. This was something she'd never, ever, _ever_told anybody else before. It was something awful she'd always kept to herself.

"Momo?"

"One day..." Momo was trembling now. "He... he assaulted me."

"WHAT?!" Rukia exploded, "HE DID WHAT - ?"

"I never knew!" Momo was crying again, and how she hated it. She hated herself. She wished she'd never spoken up. "I admired him so much! I always did as he told me, and he was nice too... He was very kind, b-but that was all a mask!" Momo took several long gulps. Rukia was silent, but silently seething with rage for the man she supposed was already rotting in the lowest levels underneath the Squad One headquarters, in the Muken.

"Momo," Rukia murmured quietly, "Calm down. It's okay."

"No it's not! I can't trust myself anymore because I'm too much of a pushover. I just do whatever people want me to! Aizen made me... he made me do things... And I agreed. I thought he was still the kind, nice person and - and I also loved him so much! I loved him too much, and in the end, he was just the villain all along," Momo whispered. "It was afternoon. I was... I was just doing paperwork like a lieutenant was supposed to do. I wanted to gain favour with him, because I was a fool who looked up to him too much. I was b-blind to his faults and thought that he really loved me back. I did it for him because I thought - I thought he actually - I thought he actually held me in that high regard." Momo wiped her eyes again and looked down at her hands. "I was a fool," she said quietly. "And I still am."

"You're not. You're definitely not," Rukia shook her head violently. "Aizen forced himself on you because he knew he had you wrapped around his finger. He - argh!" Rukia swung her fist at the wall in frustration. "I never knew he'd sunk _this_low!"

"I guess he was just testing the extent of my loyalty and how much I admired him and looked up to him and loved him." Momo wasn't having sobbing fits anymore; tears were just silently running down her face like liquid crystals. "I just can't trust myself anymore. I let myself get - get raped by him." She sighed, a quiet, trembling sigh that mirrored how her voice shook. "I think maybe I-I was leading h-him on. I was too cheerful, too happy, too willing to do what he wanted - "

"Aizen is just a bastard." Rukia shook her head. "There's no undoing the damage he did to you - he fooled you into thinking he valued, trusted, and loved you back - and he's just a horrible man. You're not the one to blame for this. There is absolutely _no_reason for someone to do that to another person. You're completely innocent, and you should let yourself off - stop beating yourself up for what happened then."

Momo let out a noncommittal grunt. "I just can't forgive myself for letting that happen. For letting any of my faults happen. For turning on Soul Society - just because I loved that evil, evil man too much." She slid down from where she was leaning onto the wall to a sitting position; so that she would be back to back with Rukia if the wall weren't there. Rukia raised a hand to the wall, placing her palm there, and, as if Momo actually knew what happened, Momo pressed her palm to the exact spot, just on the other side of the wall.

-::-

Kurosaki Ichigo prepares himself for an overenthusiastic welcome home from his wife and kids. Maybe old Goat Face might even refrain from attacking him, but that's unlikely. Tatsuki would most likely scold him for never being home for the kids – last time she'd complained that the baby swelling in her womb, the unborn Shiori, wouldn't know her dad. But he'd managed to come back before she'd been born, and watch Tatsuki give birth to another screaming child, screaming and spitting curses herself. He recalled how the midwife's face had gone red, witnessing how filthy the woman's mouth could get.

Takashi would probably miss him too, or feign ignorance as to who he was since Ichigo wasn't around that much. The carrot-topped man mentally cursed to himself. Sandal-Hat's jobs for him were more than taxing, and sometimes he didn't even get a chance to sleep. He walked through the streets of Karakura, towing his luggage behind him and sighed. He could have taken a taxi, but right now, he preferred to walk.

He'd been born in this small town. He'd faced a lot in Karakura, and couldn't bear the thought of leaving it forever. He couldn't even bear the thought of old Goat-Face's clinic being gone forever to him. Kurosaki Isshin had gotten his Shinigami powers back, but still preferred to live and age like a regular human would; perhaps in tribute to Kurosaki Masaki. The Shiba Clan didn't know where their former head was, and Ichigo certainly wasn't telling Kukaku where her uncle was and had been for the last few decades. Rangiku and Toshiro also didn't know, and he didn't want to face Toshiro's wrath.

Ichigo rummages around the pockets of his coat and pulls out the Substitute Shinigami Badge that Captain Ukitake had given him, thirteen years prior. Ukitake had long since told him about the badge's real use, but Ichigo wasn't all too surprised, having figured out as much. Ukitake was a smart man. There were many clues as to how the badge would really be used – to monitor him – but Ukitake was fully able to hide all evidence if he needed to. And he'd chosen not to.

Something catches Ichigo's eye. There was a mop of bright blue hair within the mass of people generally walking on the street. He squints.

Grimmjow freezes, then slowly steps back and darts away before Kurosaki can recognise him. As much as he wanted to fight the guy, he didn't want to do it on Kurosaki's terms. He was unprepared. And he had to tell the others that he was back so they could start working on the freaking birthday party. He just hoped Kurosaki wouldn't grow suspicious and visit Urahara beforehand, or he'd see his old enemies and a Shinigami simply chatting and loitering around the store.

Ichigo loses sight of the guy with spiky aquamarine hair, then shrugs. It was probably some sort of sleep-deprivation-induced hallucination. It looked familiar… Ichigo shook his head. He did not need to be thinking about a damn Arrancar.

-::-

"WHAAAAT?" Kisuke squawks, throwing his fan in the air. "He's baaack?!" Upon learning of Ichigo's return from Grimmjow, the guy had entered a state of almost comical shock, while Soifon glowered at him from the side. Ulquiorra remained motionless and uncaring, while Yoruichi and Ggio were sitting on either side of Soifon, eyes fixed on the exchange.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Grimmjow bellows, "You wanted to plan him a fuckin' birthday party!"

"B-b-but I'm unprepared!" Kisuke whines, bending over to pick his fan up. Grimmjow takes this moment to kick his ass. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I sure as hell ain't helping you do shit!" the former Espada growls. "Kurosaki's my enemy, remember? I gotta fight him! I can't do that on his fuckin' birthday, and you're all throwing him a party!"

Soifon sits between the two pairs of gold eyes swinging back and forth as the two have an argument, Grimmjow spluttering and shouting while Kisuke just whines. Ulquiorra examines his nails in a bored fashion before stalking downstairs to sulk in the dark. He was just as unhappy about this development as Grimmjow was, but he chose to show it in ways other than yelling and blowing up in anger. Soifon, having had enough, stands up, knocking her chair over in the process.

"Just shut up, dammit!" she shouts, banging a fist on the table. The two beside her jump, and Kisuke and Grimmjow freeze. "Kisuke! Stop procrastinating!' She jabs a finger at him. "You of all people should know that precision, speed and accuracy are the most important things in carrying an assassination out. And this is just like a mission! I don't like Kurosaki, but he did help us win the war against Aizen, and you were the one who really wanted to fucking plan this thing! So get off your ass, stop whining, and take charge!" Yoruichi blinks up at her little bee, who really has grown in the last century. "How the hell could a person like you run a whole, huge, successful company if you can't even plan a birthday party?!"

Kisuke blinks and it seems as if he'd taken her rant to heart. But then his eyes fill with tears and he crawls over to Yoruichi. "Yoruichi-saaaan!" he bawl, "Soifon-san is bullying me!"

Soifon scoffs and sits back down while Yoruichi pats Kisuke's head exasperatedly. Ggio leans over to whisper in Soifon's ear. "With the seriousness of that rant, we could hardly tell you were talking about a birthday party." Soifon flinches as his breath tickles her ear and he grins. "You sure talk a lot more here than in Soul Society!"

"I have a reputation to uphold," she mutters grouchily, sinking down and trying to block the sounds of Kisuke's over-exaggerated sobbing from her ears. "I can't be seen hanging around with the likes of that person in Soul Society."

This got Ggio somewhat worried. Once they got back to Soul Society, would this all change? Would she revert back to that icy-cold demeanour of hers that would only spout acid comments, on occasion? He still had a mission to carry out for Barragan, and as much as he didn't want to go through with it, her feelings were still of value to him. He was torn. He simply decided he should enjoy the peace while it lasted, and face the problems when they arrived.


End file.
